2019 Kia Niro transmission problems

The 2019 Kia Niro has 21 transmission complaints filed with NHTSA — 25% of the year's total, and up sharply from the prior model year.

Transmission complaints

25%

Share of year

Crash-involved

Related recalls

Transmission complaints by year

Niro transmission complaints by model year. Red bars are years to avoid.

Related recalls

23V534000TransmissionJuly 31, 2023 · 121,411 units

Defect

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.

Consequence

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 report

“2019 Kia Niro DCT engaged REVERSE during manual 1â2 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,…”
Complaint filed with NHTSA · Transmission · June 14, 2025

Common questions

How many transmission complaints does the 2019 Kia Niro have?

NHTSA has 21 complaints about the 2019 Kia Niro transmission — 25% of all complaints filed for that model year.

Are there recalls for the 2019 Kia Niro transmission?

Yes — 1 NHTSA recall campaign for this model year is tied to the transmission: 23V534000.

Based on NHTSA ODI data through June 2026. Complaints are consumer-reported and unverified. Updated July 5, 2026.

Compiled by Sharon Ben-Moshe, Founder.