2023 Kia Niro PHEV Problems, Recalls & Reliability
Verdict
GoodComplaint Index
43/100
#5 most-complained of 8 Niro PHEV years
Based on NHTSA complaints per model-year, not a reliability rating. Methodology
The 2023 Kia Niro PHEV has 6 complaints, a complaint index of 43, and ranks 5th worst out of 8 model years, earning a Good verdict. It has 2 recalls covering electrical system wiring and instrument cluster software.
- Complaints
- 6
- Recalls
- 2
- Crashes / fires
- 0 / 0
- Injuries / deaths
- 0 / 0
- NHTSA overall rating
- Not rated
- EPA combined MPG
- —
Top 2023 Kia Niro PHEV problems
NHTSA owner complaints by component group. Groups with 15+ complaints have their own page.
- Other4 (67%)
- Transmission & Powertrain2 (33%)
- Engine1 (17%)
- Collision Avoidance & Cameras1 (17%)
- Lane Departure1 (17%)
What owners report
- Transmission intermittently fails to shift into drive, with the issue not reproducible at the dealer.
- Failure to shift reported at a median mileage of 1,300 miles.
- Electronic dash screen goes completely blank, taking out speed indication.
- Loss of dash display also disables adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning, and forward collision warning at the same time.
2023 Kia Niro PHEV recalls
2 NHTSA recall campaigns list this model year.
- NHTSA 25V024000Jan 17, 2025Electrical System80,255 vehicles
Electrical system:wiring
Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2023-2025 Niro EV, Plug-in Hybrid (PHEV), and Hybrid vehicles. The floor wiring assembly beneath the front passenger seat may become damaged, which can prevent the front air bags and seat belts from deploying properly or cause an unintended side curtain air bag deployment.
Risk: Air bags and seat belts that deploy improperly or an air bag deploying unintentionally can increase the risk of injury in a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect, replace and reroute the floor wiring assembly, as necessary, free of charge. In addition, dealers will install wiring covers. Owner notification letters were mailed February 27, 2025. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC332.
- NHTSA 23V298000Apr 26, 2023Electrical System108,936 vehicles
Electrical system: instrument cluster/panel
Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2023 Sportage, Sportage Hybrid, Sportage Plug-in Hybrid, Niro Hybrid, Niro Plug-in Hybrid, Soul, and Telluride vehicles equipped with a digital instrument cluster containing a 4.2" LCD screen.  The instrument cluster may fail to display any information when the vehicle is started.  As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard numbers 101, "Control and Displays," and 138, "Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems."
Risk: A blank instrument cluster display will not show critical information, such as tire pressure, warning messages, and warning lights, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will update the instrument cluster software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed May 26, 2023. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC270.
2023 compared with other Niro PHEV years
Frequently asked questions
- Is the 2023 Kia Niro PHEV reliable?
- Based on NHTSA owner complaints, the 2023 Niro PHEV has a complaint index of 43 and ranks 5th worst of 8 model years, earning a Good verdict relative to other Niro PHEV years.
- What problems does the 2023 Kia Niro PHEV have?
- NHTSA complaints point to Transmission & Powertrain issues as the top problem area, at 33% of complaints, including intermittent failure to shift into drive. Owners also reported dash screen blackouts that disable collision avoidance and lane departure features.
- Does the 2023 Kia Niro PHEV have any recalls?
- Yes, NHTSA lists 2 recalls: one for a floor wiring assembly that can be damaged near the front passenger seat, and one for a digital instrument cluster software update. Neither is a do-not-drive recall.
- How does the 2023 Niro PHEV compare to other Niro PHEV years?
- The 2023 model's complaint index of 43 is lower than 2019's 100 and 2022's 71, but higher than 2020's 29 and 2025's 14, placing it 5th worst of 8 years tracked.