- Vehicles
- 27,030
- Built between
- Not published
- Models
- 1
- Recall type
- Vehicle
- Initiated by
- Manufacturer
- Owners notified
- 9 January 2023
- Repaired
- 67%
- Unrepaired
- 6,289
Does this affect my vehicle?
The manufacturer did not publish a build-date range for this recall, so the model and year list below is the only way to tell whether your vehicle is covered.
- 2017-2018 Kia Niro
Repair progress
6,289 of 27,030 vehicles in this recall had still not been repaired as of Q4 2024.
67% repaired — 18,208 of 27,030 reported
- Owners not reachable
- 936
- Scrapped or exported
- 1,597
Manufacturers file these figures with NHTSA each quarter. Vehicles the manufacturer could not trace, or that have been scrapped or exported, are counted separately and are not included in the unrepaired figure.
What the defect is
Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2017-2018 Kia Niro hybrid electric vehicles previously recalled under recall 18V-666. The Main Relay within the Power Relay Assembly (PRA) may have inadequate connections between its contacts, causing increased electrical resistance, which can overheat the rear seats.
What could happen
Overheated rear seats increase the risk of a fire.
What gets fixed
Dealers will inspect the PRA and replace either the PRA or the Main Relay, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 9, 2023.
Parts involved
- Relay-High Voltage Main37583-G2000High Voltage Main Relay
Part numbers are as filed by the manufacturer and are listed for reference. Your dealer will confirm the correct part for your vehicle.
Timeline
- Recall reported to NHTSA11 November 2022
- Owners notified9 January 2023
- Latest repair reportQ4 2024 — 67% repaired
Your rights
A safety recall repair is free. Under US federal law the manufacturer must fix a safety defect at no cost to you — no charge for parts, labor or diagnosis — whether or not you are the original owner. A dealer cannot charge you for recall work, and cannot require you to have bought the vehicle from them.
That entitlement is not unlimited. It applies where the vehicle was first sold less than 15 years before the recall was announced — 5 years for tires. Past that a manufacturer may still do the repair free of charge, and many do, but they are no longer obliged to. This recall was reported on 11 November 2022.
To arrange the repair, contact any franchised dealer for the brand. If a dealer refuses the work or tries to charge for it, you can report that to NHTSA at nhtsa.gov/recalls or on 1-888-327-4236.
Manufacturer contact
Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC256. This recall supersedes NHTSA recall number 18V-666. Vehicles already repaired under the previous recall will need to have the new remedy completed.
Official source
- Manufacturer's recall number
- SC256
- Recalling manufacturer
- Kia America, Inc.
- Recall initiated by
- MFR
Everything on this page — the models listed, the build dates and the repair figures — comes from the manufacturer's filing to NHTSA and describes the vehicle line as a whole, not any individual car. Only the manufacturer can confirm whether a specific vehicle is affected, and whether its recall work has already been carried out. Check yours by VIN and read the official notice at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Additional notes
Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.nhtsa.gov.
Check your own vehicle
This page describes the recall, not any one car. To see which recalls cover a specific vehicle, search by make, model and year.
A VIN lookup here identifies your vehicle and shows recalls issued for that make, model and year. It cannot tell you what is still open on your individual car - only the manufacturer knows that. Search by VIN instead, or check your VIN at nhtsa.gov for whether a recall is still open on your individual car.