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Total NHTSA Complaints
71
Owner filings recorded
#1 Reported Problem
Electrical System
20 reports (28.2%)
Crash Incident Reports
9
Filings citing a crash
Fire & Injury Reports
5
0 fire • 5 injury filings
Defect Investigation Analysis

Executive Problem Findings

AutoUtility currently tracks 71 official NHTSA owner defect complaints for the 2022 Kia Niro. Electrical System issues are the most frequently reported category, appearing in 20 complaints (28.2% of submitted records). Among these NHTSA complaint records, 9 filings cite a crash, 5 report one or more injuries.

Methodology Notice: Consumer complaints are unverified voluntary submissions to the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI). Filings are not normalized for sales volume or vehicle mileage and do not constitute an audited component failure rate.
Incident & Severity Profile
  • • Total Owner Reports: 71 complaints submitted under federal penalty.
  • • Primary Subsystem: Electrical System accounts for 28.2% of submissions (20 reports).
  • • Secondary Systems: Powertrain & Transmission (16), Brakes & Traction Control (11).
  • • Crash Incidents: 9 filings cite an impact or collision.
  • • Thermal Incidents: 0 filings cite smoke or fire.
  • • Reported Casualties: 5 injury filings • 0 fatality filings.
Category Distribution

Reported Defect Categories for 2022 Kia Niro

Factual proportion of owner complaints categorized by automotive subsystem in NHTSA records

Electrical System
20
28.2%
Powertrain & Transmission
16
22.5%
Brakes & Traction Control
11
15.5%
Engine & Cooling
10
14.1%
Driver Assistance & Safety Tech
8
11.3%
#1 28.2% SHARE

Electrical System

20 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.

✓ 0 Incidents
⚠️ 1 Associated Recall Campaign
#2 22.5% SHARE

Powertrain & Transmission

16 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.

✓ 0 Incidents
⚠️ 1 Associated Recall Campaign
#3 15.5% SHARE

Brakes & Traction Control

11 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.

⚠️ 3 Crash 🩹 2 Injury
#4 14.1% SHARE

Engine & Cooling

10 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.

⚠️ 1 Crash 🩹 1 Injury
Deterministic Text Analysis

Recurring Symptoms Identified in Owner Reports

Specific mechanical, electrical, and driver-assist defect symptoms identified via deterministic narrative analysis

Powertrain & Transmission 7%

Loss of Motive Power While Driving

5 complaint narratives describe this symptom.

NHTSA Narrative Match
Driver Assistance & Safety Tech 7%

Unintended / Sudden Acceleration

5 complaint narratives describe this symptom.

NHTSA Narrative Match
Federal Oversight

Official NHTSA Defect Investigations (1)

Formal engineering analyses and preliminary evaluations opened by the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation

ODI Action #DP22005 CLOSED Defect Petition (DP)
Opened: 2023-01-27 • Closed: 2023-08-07
Subject / Subsystem
Pedestrian alert sounds
Affected Component
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:PROPULSION SYSTEM
Recall Linkage
NHTSA received a petition on or about July 18, 2022, requesting that Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 141 be applied to all electric and hybrid vehicles operating in the United States. The petition can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under ODI Number 11486072. FMVSS 141 establishes performance requirements for pedestrian alert sounds for motor vehicles. The standard applies to hybrid and electric vehicles that have a gross vehicle weight rating of 4,536 KG or less or are defined as low-speed vehicles. The standard became fully applicable to all such vehicles manufactured on or after March 1, 2021.On January 27, 2023, NHTSA opened Defect Petition (DP) 22-005 to evaluate the subject matter described in the petition. On June 24, 2023 and as supplemented on June 25, 2023, the petitioner notified NHTSA he was withdrawing his petition. The petitioner indicated that, based on his review of data, there is no justification for asserting potential benefits that could be derived from actions sought by my petition. Based on the petitioner's withdrawal, DP22-005 is closed. Closure of this DP does not represent a determination by NHTSA regarding the subject matter of the petition.
Consumer Filings

Recent NHTSA Owner Reports for 2022 Kia Niro

Representative defect filings submitted by owners to the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation

Brakes & Traction Control ODI #11753454
Filed: 07/29/2026
Defect Report

"The contact owns a 2022 Kia Niro. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at various speeds, the vehicle made an abnormally loud grinding sound. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, and the brake pads and rotors were replaced. While replacing the brake pads and rotors, the..."

Electrical System ODI #11752715
Filed: 07/24/2026
Defect Report

"Component or system that failed: High-Voltage Electrical System / High-Voltage Battery Safety Plug Assembly (specifically covered under Recall SC314 / NHTSA Campaign 24V-358). It is NOT wear and tear as falsely claimed by the dealer. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request at the..."

Body & Structure ODI #11751662
Filed: 07/20/2026
Defect Report

"The contact owns a 2022 Kia Niro. The contact stated that a hardwired kill switch was installed in the vehicle, and the switch overheated to the point that the vehicle was unable to operate. An investigation was conducted by the contact, who touched a big box underneath the dashboard. The contact's..."

Powertrain & Transmission ODI #11750957
Filed: 07/16/2026
Defect Report

"COMPONENT/SYSTEM: The 12-volt auxiliary battery system, the interior fuse box (Total Integrated Power Module) containing an auto-cutoff relay, and the high voltage battery system. All components are available for inspection. SAFETY RISK: The vehicle has lost power and died while being driven, and..."

Air Bags & Restraints ODI #11743136
Filed: 06/10/2026
⚠️ Crash Cited 🩹 1 Injury

"The contact owns a 2022 Kia Niro. The contact stated that while driving from a complete stop at 5 MPH, the vehicle was T-boned on the passenger's side by a Jeep Grand Cherokee driving at high speed. Due to the impact, the contact's head struck the dashboard. The other vehicle fled the scene of the..."

Multi-Year Trend

Complaint History for Kia Niro

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 12 1 2 View 2021 Problems →
2022 Kia Niro Current Page 71 9 3 Current
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 →
Exhaustive System Audit

Detailed NHTSA Component Breakdown for 2022 Kia Niro

Complete distribution of consumer defect reports across all 32 granular NHTSA system and subsystem classifications

Vehicle Component / System Total Complaints Crash Reports Fire Reports Injury Entries Fatality Entries
Other / Uncategorized NHTSA category: UNKNOWN OR OTHER 13 4 0 2 0
Powertrain NHTSA category: POWER TRAIN 9 0 0 0 0
Electrical System NHTSA category: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 6 0 0 0 0
Visibility & Wipers NHTSA category: VISIBILITY/WIPER 4 0 0 0 0
Air Bags NHTSA category: AIR BAGS 3 2 0 1 0
Service Brakes NHTSA category: SERVICE BRAKES 3 1 0 1 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES 2 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 2 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE 2 0 0 0 0
Engine NHTSA category: ENGINE 2 0 0 0 0
Fuel & Propulsion System NHTSA category: FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 2 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 2 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,ENGINE 2 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,BACK OVER PREVENTION 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE,LANE DEPARTURE 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 1 0 0 0 0
EXTERIOR LIGHTING,SERVICE BRAKES 1 0 0 0 0
Forward Collision Avoidance NHTSA category: FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 1 0 0 0 0
PARKING BRAKE 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 1 0 0 0 0
Seat Belts NHTSA category: SEAT BELTS 1 0 0 0 0
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC,AIR BAGS 1 1 0 0 0
Structure & Body NHTSA category: STRUCTURE 1 0 0 0 0
UNKNOWN OR OTHER,VISIBILITY/WIPER,LANE DEPARTURE 1 0 0 0 0
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 1 0 0 0 0
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE 1 1 0 1 0
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 1 0 0 0 0
VISIBILITY/WIPER,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 1 0 0 0 0
Search Intelligence

Quick Answers: Common Problems & Reliability Questions for the 2022 Kia Niro

Direct, deterministic answers synthesized from verified United States government databases for the 2022 Kia Niro

What are the most common reported problems with the 2022 Kia Niro?

In official NHTSA consumer records, the most frequently cited issue area for the 2022 Kia Niro is Electrical System, appearing in 20 records (28.2% of submitted filings).

Secondary reported categories include Powertrain & Transmission (16) and Brakes & Traction Control (11).

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI)

Is the 2022 Kia Niro a reliable vehicle?

AutoUtility does not issue subjective reliability scores or commercial ratings. In official United States government records, NHTSA tracks 71 consumer defect complaints and 3 safety recall campaigns for the 2022 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.

Source: NHTSA ODI & Safety Recalls Databases

Are there crash, fire, or injury reports associated with the 2022 Kia Niro?

Among consumer complaint records on file with NHTSA for the 2022 Kia Niro, 9 filings cite a crash, 0 cite smoke or fire, and 5 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.

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Consumer Logs

Has NHTSA formally investigated defects on the 2022 Kia Niro?

NHTSA ODI records list 1 formal defect investigation involving the 2022 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.

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Registry
Official US Government Data Provenance

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.