2019 Kia Niro HybridRecalls, problems, MPG & safety

“On August 22nd, I was driving from the grocery story to my house (5 miles away) when the transmission started failing only going on 2nd gear and the check engine light came on, when I got home, I called my mechanic and he connected his code reader to my card and the error code is P090B$07E9 Clutch "B" actuator control circuit performance error, he told me that Kia motors had an open recall for the clutch actuator, I called the Kia dealer to make an appointment for August 26th I told them the issue with my car and they told me they will check that error, it took two weeks for them to return my car and they told me that they replaced only the fuse for the Recall SC275 / NHTSA 23V534000 and they told me that I needed a new transmission and the price to replace it was $6,000.00 plus tax, I told them that the issue it was because the clutch actuator, they said no, so I took my car home, and took it for a second opinion with an independent service center, after the inspection they told me that the transmission failed and it was stuck on the 2nd gear and it was better to replace the transmission, I went back to the Kia dealer ship and demand a formal diagnostic report…”

“2019 Kia Niro. While driving normally on the street, the driver attempted to brake & the brakes would not respond. This is a very scary situation and Kia needs to handle immediately!! The message "Stop the Vehicle and Check Regenerative Brakes" was displayed. Thankfully the driver was able to come to a stop without crashing but if this was during heavy traffic time it definitely would've resulted in a crash. Could be even that much worse on the freeway, especially in Los Angeles. The vehicle was towed to the drivers home. After checking again, the vehicle was in limp mode & would not go over 15mph. The driver was able to get it to a Kia shop to be checked & they quoted a $9,000 repair!! This is horrible that Kia is allowing this issue to go on!!!”

“While traveling from upstate New York, the vehicle displayed an engine overheating warning shortly after startup while the engine was still cold. Because I was away from home, I stayed overnight and the next morning took the vehicle to a Kia dealership for inspection. The dealership inspected the vehicle and diagnosed a problem with the exhaust heat recovery system pipe. According to the service department, coolant is leaking internally through this component and is being burned in the exhaust system. The cooling system was pressure tested and held pressure externally, indicating the coolant loss is occurring internally through the exhaust heat recovery system rather than from an external leak. This condition can cause coolant loss and overheating while driving. If the engine overheats while the vehicle is in operation, it could create a safety risk due to sudden loss of power or engine damage. The dealership confirmed the diagnosis after inspection and testing and provided a repair estimate to replace the affected exhaust heat recovery system component. The overheating warning message was the first symptom observed prior to diagnosis. The problem was confirmed…”