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Transmission and drivetrainPart report

2018 Kia Niro Phev Transmission and drivetrain Problems

Complaints
6about this part
Share
46%of 13 total for the year
Median mileage
2,525miles
Trend
Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.

NHTSA recorded 6 complaints about the transmission and drivetrain of the 2018 Kia Niro Phev, 46% of the 13 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 2,525 miles. 1 recall campaign on record is filed under a similar system.

Fewer than 15 complaints name this part, so treat the figures as a rough indication only.

Example complaints

Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.

“The transmission fails to engage immediately to the gear shifted to. When stationary and with the vehicle in reverse, if you proceed to press the accelerator and the vehicle starts to move backwards, the vehicle will continue to roll in the reverse direction even after switching the gear selector to drive and pressing the accelerator. This problem happens when switching from either drive to reverse or reverse to drive.”

NHTSA complaint #11144919, filed 2018-11, 50 miles

“2018 Kia niro plug-in hybrid, 16,235mi. Vehicle has been in 5 times in last several months for a total of over 30 days in shop. Transmission will do a very hard downshift intermittently when stopping. Makes vehicle dip hard..noticeable on dash cam video. On harder acceleration, power train has trouble deciding what to do and often there is a noticeable delay in acceleration. Feels sort of like it is slipping, but is a delay in powering the electric motor fully and starting the gas motor.this has caused a couple close calls when pulling into traffic expecting the car to react appropriately. …”

NHTSA complaint #11299943, filed 2020-01, 5,000 miles

“I received KIA letter about the recall SC276 for HCA issue around 1/15/24. I brought my 2018 Kia Niro PHEV to Kia Dealer in San Jose. They inspected and concluded that the vehicle is safe with the recall SC276. However, they did not replace the fuse as stated in Kia's recall instructions. Ten days later, I was on the road, slowing down at the intersection and the car suddenly lost power, the Dashboard show the message for 'EV System failed'. My battery was fully charged at work, which is 2 miles away. My gas tank was full and I couldn't start my car again. …”

NHTSA complaint #11572995, filed 2024-02

“The contact owns a 2018 Kia Niro. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V534000 (Power Train) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. 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 #11552926, filed 2023-10

“The contact owns a 2018 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. An undisclosed dealer was contacted and 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 parts not available.”

NHTSA complaint #11548070, filed 2023-10

Related recalls

Related service bulletins

Transmission and drivetrain: other model years

YearComplaintsShare of year
2023233%
2022650%
2020240%
2019935%
2018646%

Other parts of the 2018 Kia Niro Phev

Engine
4 complaints
Electrical system
2 complaints
Other or unknown
2 complaints
Body and structure
2 complaints
Vehicle speed control
2 complaints
Air bags
1 complaints
Brakes
1 complaints
Electronic stability control
1 complaints
Forward collision avoidance
1 complaints
Fuel system
1 complaints
Suspension
1 complaints

← All problems reported for the 2018 Kia Niro Phev

About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 31, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.

To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology