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2019 Kia Niro Brakes Problems

Owner-reported complaints naming the brake system, filed with NHTSA

Data refreshed

Brakes reportsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
9
Latest Jul 27, 2026
Share of all reportsThis category as a share of every owner report on file for this model year. One report can name more than one component, so the categories overlap.
17%
of 54 total
Crash or fire reportedReports in this category whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. The reporter's own answer on the NHTSA form, not a verified finding.
2
Injuries or deaths reportedTotals the submitters entered on their own reports in this category. Not verified by NHTSA and not a casualty statistic.
0

What this page shows

Reports naming service brakes, the antilock braking system, brake hoses, master cylinders or the parking brake. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2019 Kia Niro submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 9 reports on file name it.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

Owner reports naming brake

Shown in the owner’s own words, exactly as filed

Brakes
Filed Jul 27, 2026

The contact owns a 2019 Kia Niro. The contact stated that while driving 65 MPH, the brake pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to stop as needed. The contact pulled over to the shoulder of the roadway and the parking brake was engaged to keep the vehicle from moving. The message "Stop the Vehicle and Check Regenerative Brakes" was displayed. The failure was a recurring failure. The vehicle was towed, and the dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired because the dealer was unable to duplicate the failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 93,000.

NHTSA ID
11753028
Incident
Sep 6, 2025
Mileage
93,000 mi
BrakesFuel system
Filed Jun 23, 2026

My car is a 2019 KIA Niro Hybrid. It's only 7 years old, and my husband and I have been the only owners. It only has 61,000 miles on it, and it is serviced regularly and has to pass a state emissions test each year. As I was driving the other day, the dashboard lit up with critical alerts saying "check regenerative battery" and the braking system went completely soft; I could not stop the car using the brakes. It was terrifying. I had to pull off the road and use the emergency brake to stop the car. This was an awful incident that could have resulted in deaths or serious injuries. Again this is for a car that is well-maintained and well under 100,000 miles.

NHTSA ID
11745988
Incident
Jun 20, 2026
Brakes
Filed Jul 13, 2025

While driving an error message appeared about regenerative braking system error and the braking effectiveness was severely impaired.

NHTSA ID
11673145
Incident
Jul 13, 2025
BrakesEngine
Filed Jan 6, 2025
Crash reported

The contact's customer owns a 2019 Kia Niro LX. The contact stated that his customer stated that the vehicle overheated. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who replaced the converter. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. The owner stated that the vehicle was randomly stopping. The vehicle was taken back to the independent mechanic. While test driving at 15 MPH, the brakes were operating as designed, and then after several attempts, the brake pedal was applied and depressed to the floorboard, and the driver crashed into a parked BMW X5. There were no warning lights illuminated. The brakes were inoperable. The air bags deployed. There were no reported injuries, fire or police report filed. The local dealer was contacted, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the faikure. The failure mileage was approximately 144,800.

NHTSA ID
11634419
Incident
Dec 20, 2024
Mileage
144,800 mi
BrakesElectrical
Filed May 18, 2024

Car has warning message and several engine lights on dash come up and asks to stop car and check the regenerative brake system. Car loses all systems that are electrical, car is very hard to drive, even not operative. This has happened many times over the past four years. Each time the car has been taken to a authorized KIA Dealership and they have not been able to fix the problem. It happened almost a week ago and dealership told us that they couldn't find anything wrong and were told to pick it up. Happened again today and it was while driving. Same issue, same warnings on dash.

NHTSA ID
11589434
Incident
May 18, 2024
BrakesElectrical
Filed Feb 10, 2024

KIA NIRO 2019 SAFETY RECALL As described in the safety recall (previous page), my KIA Niro 2019 alarm went off with the following error message "Engine Overheating". Kia of America and its dealership refused to fix the problem. The car dealership -said- has no direction as to how or when to fix the problem, and the KIA consumer hotline is out of business.

NHTSA ID
11571191
Incident
Feb 9, 2024
Brakes
Filed Jan 8, 2024

Able to completely stop vehicle with light brake pedal pressure without activating the brake lights. Regenerative braking is engaged

NHTSA ID
11564298
Incident
Jan 8, 2024
Brakes
Filed Nov 27, 2023
Crash reported

Breaks seized to respond when doing a sharp break. Vehicle did not break and slid off until it hit the vehicle up front. Waiting for vehicle inspection to begin. No warning signs, lights, or prior issues happened before the incident.

NHTSA ID
11557140
Incident
Nov 27, 2023
Brakes
Filed Mar 2, 2022

Twice the vehicle has lost all ability to brake or accelerate suddenly while driving speeds over 60 mph. The brake sticks in the up position, emergency brake doesn't work, and the gas pedal goes to the floor but does not work. The vehicle electrical panel goes haywire, battery of hybrid shows dead, then all gauges flash and change going up, down, and changing erratically. Vehicle lost all control in February and had to collide into something to stop.

NHTSA ID
11454862
Incident
Feb 12, 2022

Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.

Other components reported on this vehicle

Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own

Elsewhere on this vehicle

Data sources

Data on this page last refreshed .