AutoUtility currently tracks 12 official NHTSA owner defect complaints for the 2021 Kia Niro. Powertrain & Transmission issues are the most frequently reported category, appearing in 4 complaints (33.3% of submitted records). Among these NHTSA complaint records, 1 filing cites a crash, 1 reports one or more injuries.
Factual proportion of owner complaints categorized by automotive subsystem in NHTSA records
4 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.
2 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.
2 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.
2 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.
Formal engineering analyses and preliminary evaluations opened by the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
Representative defect filings submitted by owners to the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
"I own a 2021 Kia Niro. The rear backup camera intermittently fails to operate. When shifting into reverse, the display screen will either go completely black or the camera will not activate at all. This issue occurs unpredictably and without warning. As a result, I am unable to see behind the..."
"This is a hybrid vehicle. It has Dual clutch transmission. Since I have owned it, intermittently the clutch does not disengage completely. This causes the vehicle to try to pull ahead but my foot is on the brake. The vehicle does not stall. Somehow it figures out it can't pull ahead and somehow..."
"EV motor and drive train have a clattering noise, much like a playing card attached to a bicycle clattering against the wheel spokes. it speeds up and slows down with the acceleration of the motor."
"The rear brake rotors on the vehicle are pitted, as confirmed by a local repair shop. The "incident" is ongoing. Kia refuses to repair or replace them under warranty (25,500 miles on the car), claiming they are wear item. However, pitting is not wear, in fact quite the opposite. My analysis (30+..."
"I was backing out of a tandem parking spot in a private garage and got too close to a pillar, and tried to pull forward into the spot. It felt like the car got snagged on the pillar, but while pulling forward slowly, the gas pedal snapped off and the car accelerated quickly and uncontrollably. I..."
Reported defect complaint volume across sibling model years (2017–2026)
| Model Year | NHTSA Complaints | Crash Reports | Safety Recalls | Detailed Report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 Kia Niro | 98 | 4 | 5 | View 2017 Problems → |
| 2018 Kia Niro | 57 | 4 | 3 | View 2018 Problems → |
| 2019 Kia Niro | 97 | 5 | 1 | View 2019 Problems → |
| 2020 Kia Niro | 60 | 3 | 3 | View 2020 Problems → |
| 2021 Kia Niro Current Page | 12 | 1 | 2 | Current |
| 2022 Kia Niro | 71 | 9 | 3 | View 2022 Problems → |
| 2023 Kia Niro | 62 | 10 | 4 | View 2023 Problems → |
| 2024 Kia Niro | 18 | 5 | 2 | View 2024 Problems → |
| 2025 Kia Niro | 19 | 2 | 1 | View 2025 Problems → |
| 2026 Kia Niro | 0 | 0 | 0 | View 2026 Problems → |
Complete distribution of consumer defect reports across all 10 granular NHTSA system and subsystem classifications
| Vehicle Component / System | Total Complaints | Crash Reports | Fire Reports | Injury Entries | Fatality Entries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Powertrain NHTSA category: POWER TRAIN | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Other / Uncategorized NHTSA category: UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Back Over Prevention / Camera NHTSA category: BACK OVER PREVENTION | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Electrical System NHTSA category: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Service Brakes NHTSA category: SERVICE BRAKES | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Vehicle Speed Control NHTSA category: VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Visibility / Glass NHTSA category: VISIBILITY | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Visibility & Wipers NHTSA category: VISIBILITY/WIPER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Cross-reference safety recalls, crash test safety ratings, and EPA fuel economy for this model year
Key performance indicators, EPA fuel economy specs, powertrain variants, and summary ratings.
Official recall campaigns, safety defect descriptions, and manufacturer free remedy instructions.
NHTSA 5-Star NCAP crash test results, driver assistance systems, and rollover resistance ratings.
EPA fuel economy ratings, electric range, and annual energy cost benchmarks.
Direct, deterministic answers synthesized from verified United States government databases for the 2021 Kia Niro
In official NHTSA consumer records, the most frequently cited issue area for the 2021 Kia Niro is Powertrain & Transmission, appearing in 4 records (33.3% of submitted filings).
Secondary reported categories include Engine & Cooling (2) and Driver Assistance & Safety Tech (2).
AutoUtility does not issue subjective reliability scores or commercial ratings. In official United States government records, NHTSA tracks 12 consumer defect complaints and 2 safety recall campaigns for the 2021 Kia Niro.
Reviewing documented component complaint distributions, recall remedy notices, and active federal investigations provides an objective, evidence-based view of the vehicle's historical safety and defect record.
Among consumer complaint records on file with NHTSA for the 2021 Kia Niro, 1 filing cites a crash, 0 cite smoke or fire, and 1 report one or more injuries.
Incident entries represent consumer descriptions at the time of submission to federal authorities and do not establish mechanical causation or legal liability.
NHTSA ODI records list 1 formal defect investigation involving the 2021 Kia Niro (all closed).
Federal defect investigations are formal engineering evaluations opened when safety defect trends emerge, and do not by themselves establish a confirmed defect or mandatory recall.
The complaint records on this page are retrieved directly from the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) public database under 49 CFR Part 576.
Local Production Store Compiled: August 2026 • Deterministic Audited Dataset • Zero Dynamic External API Runtime Latency.