2019 Kia Niro transmission & drivetrain problems

Related recalls

• Recall 23V534000Jul 31, 2023121,411 vehicles
  POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:INTERNAL:CLUTCHES/BANDS:ACTUATORS/SOLENOIDS

  Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2017-2022 Niro and 2018-2022 Niro Plug-in Hybrid vehicles. Fluid may leak into the printed circuit board inside the hydraulic clutch actuator, which can result in an engine compartment fire.

  Risk: A fire increases the risk of injury.

  Remedy: Dealers will inspect and replace the hydraulic clutch actuator as necessary and install a new fuse, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 29, 2023. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC276.

What owners say

1. Filed Sep 16, 2026SCTransmission & Drivetrain

   On August 22nd, I was driving from the grocery story to my house (5 miles away) when the transmission started failing only going on 2nd gear and the check engine light came on, when I got home, I called my mechanic and he connected his code reader to my card and the error code is P090B$07E9 Clutch "B" actuator control circuit performance error, he told me that Kia motors had an open recall for the clutch actuator, I called the Kia dealer to make an appointment for August…

   NHTSA complaint #11764701 · source
2. Filed May 22, 2026MASteeringTransmission & DrivetrainWheels & Tires

   A major drivetrain service and repair was completed by an authorized manufacturer dealership. After picking up the vehicle, an unusual front-end/steering noise was immediately reported to the staff. Over just 390 miles of driving, the symptom worsened. A subsequent formal inspection by a separate, independent authorized service center confirmed the root cause of the safety failure: the primary axle nut had been left completely unstaked during the initial drivetrain assembly,…

   NHTSA complaint #11739644 · source
3. Filed Mar 5, 2026100,000 miCAEngineTransmission & Drivetrain

   The contact owns a 2019 Kia Niro. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle jerked. The check engine warning light and the hybrid battery warning light were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the clutch actuator was leaking, and the dual clutch and slave cylinder needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but denied assistance in…

   NHTSA complaint #11722353 · source
4. Filed Aug 1, 202535,000 miFLTransmission & Drivetrain

   The contact owns a 2019 Kia Niro. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the message "Pull Over and Shut off Engine" was displayed and a burning odor was coming from the engine compartment. After restarting the vehicle, the failure was self-corrected. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who determined that fluid had leaked into the clutch actuator and the clutch actuator needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was…

   NHTSA complaint #11677830 · source
5. Filed Jun 26, 202575,000 miGAEngineTransmission & Drivetrain

   The contact owns 2019 Kia Niro. The contact stated that on several occasions when the vehicle was started, the check engine warning intermittently illuminated. The contact stated that while driving and accelerating, the vehicle lost motive power momentarily. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and DTC: P074A, P1921, P074A/73, and P1921-77 were retrieved. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it a diagnosed and determined that the transmission gear actuator…

   NHTSA complaint #11669557 · source
6. Filed Jun 14, 2025MATransmission & Drivetrain

   2019 Kia Niro DCT engaged REVERSE during manual 1→2 upshift attempt in Sport Mode, causing violent reversal. Resets with ignition cycle. Smell of burnt clutch present. Happend at 41,000mi, then 73,000mi then again today at 154,584. Believe it may be a faulty range selector, corrupted tcu logic, or both. **Canadian Recall R238 (May 2022)** for DCT clutch actuators

   NHTSA complaint #11666944 · source
7. Filed Oct 18, 202487,000 miMATowedEngineTransmission & Drivetrain

   The contact owns a 2019 Kia Niro. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power with the message "Stop Engine". The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who diagnosed failures with the hydraulic clutch actuator and catalytic converter. The catalytic converter was replaced, but the hydraulic clutch actuator was not repaired due to lack of part availability. After investigating…

   NHTSA complaint #11620633 · source
8. Filed Feb 12, 202461,473 miGATransmission & Drivetrain

   The contact owns a 2019 Kia Niro. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V534000 (Power Train) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that while the vehicle was at the dealer for the scheduled recall repair, the vehicle was inspected. The contact's wife was informed that the hydraulic clutch actuator…

   NHTSA complaint #11571396 · source
9. Filed Dec 27, 2023MATransmission & Drivetrain

   The contact owns a 2019 Kia Niro. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V534000 (Power Train) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

   NHTSA complaint #11562063 · source
10. Filed Nov 22, 2023OKTransmission & Drivetrain

    The contact owns a 2019 Kia Niro. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V534000 (Power Train) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The local dealer was contacted, and it was confirmed that the part was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms…

    NHTSA complaint #11556459 · source
11. Filed Oct 24, 2023CAElectrical SystemTransmission & Drivetrain

    I’ve had this repaired by Kia and immediately failed again, but a component to the alternator and ac unit is attached to the drive train and will cause an alarm that hybrid battery failure and sudden power loss(they told me this with the first “fix” but failed within an hour of leaving Kia. It’s happened again tonight and nearly caused a crash on the freeway and I’ve seen many others with this issue and I want to drive my kid home safely so any help would be wonderful with…

    NHTSA complaint #11551515 · source
12. Filed Oct 16, 2023INTransmission & Drivetrain

    The contact owns a 2019 Kia Niro. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V534000 (Power Train) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact had…

    NHTSA complaint #11550175 · source

Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Office of Defects Investigation public data. Complaints are submitted by owners and are not verified by NHTSA or by us; a complaint does not prove a defect exists. View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov Methodology