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2018 Kia Niro

Plug-in hybrid Hybrid

Small Station Wagons
4 EPA-rated configurations
Data refreshed 2026-10-26

Safety Signal

61 / 100 from the NHTSA recall record

Recalls3 critical 3

Complaints6 crash · 4 injured reported 73

Crash ratingnot rated by NHTSA —

Fuel economybest combined, EPA 50 mpg

2027 2026 2025 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017

The 2018 Kia Niro is sold in the U.S. as a plug-in hybrid and hybrid compact SUV with 4 EPA-rated configurations. The most efficient version, the Niro FE, is EPA-rated at 50 mpg combined. NHTSA lists 3 recall campaigns for this model year, 3 rated critical, which gives it a Safety Signal grade of D. Owners have filed 73 complaints, most often about the power train.

Kia Niro — photograph via Wikimedia Commons — Kia Niro · Photo: Alexander Migl · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Specs & fuel economy

Source: EPA fueleconomy.gov

Configuration	Powertrain	Drive	Engine / motor	City	Hwy	Comb	Range	kWh/100mi	Charge (240V)	Annual fuel*
Niro Plug-in Hybrid	Plug-in hybrid	FWD	1.6L 4-cyl + 32kW IPMSM	48	44	46 (66 MPGe blended)	26 mi electric	32	2.2 h	$1,450
Niro FE	Hybrid	FWD	1.6L 4-cyl + 240V Li-Ion	52	49	50	—	—	—	$1,350
Niro	Hybrid	FWD	1.6L 4-cyl + 240V Li-Ion	51	46	49	—	—	—	$1,350
Niro Touring	Hybrid	FWD	1.6L 4-cyl + 240V Li-Ion	46	40	43	—	—	—	$1,550

*EPA estimate at 15,000 miles/year at EPA reference fuel and electricity prices. fueleconomy.gov record ids: 39799, 39617, 39616, 39618.

Emissions & certification

Source: EPA emission certificates

Configuration	Smog rating	Emission standard	Where it can be sold new	SmartWay
Niro Plug-in Hybrid	7 / 10	Federal Tier 3 Bin 30 / California LEV-III SULEV30	All 50 states (federal, all altitudes); California and states following California standards	SmartWay Elite
Niro, Niro FE	7 / 10	California LEV-III SULEV30 / Federal Tier 3 Bin 30	All 50 states (federal, all altitudes); California and states following California standards	SmartWay Elite
Niro Touring	7 / 10	Federal Tier 3 Bin 30 / California LEV-III SULEV30	All 50 states (federal, all altitudes); California and states following California standards	SmartWay

Certified for all fifty states, so it can be registered new anywhere in the U.S.

The smog rating scores tailpipe pollutants other than greenhouse gases, 1 (worst) to 10 (best), and is comparable only within a model year. The standard is the federal bin or California tier the configuration was certified to. Both come from the EPA certificate behind the window sticker.

Specifications filed with NHTSA

Source: NHTSA vPIC

Dimensions Exterior

Body style	Sport Utility Vehicle [SUV]/Multipurpose Vehicle [MPV]
Doors	4
GVWR class	Class 1C: 4,001 - 5,000 lb (1,814 - 2,268 kg)

Engine Basics

Cylinders	4
Displacement	1.6 L

Engine Output

Horsepower

104 hp

Fuel Economy

Fuel	Gasoline

Seating

Seat rows	2
Seating capacity	5 seats

Transmission

Drivetrain	4x2
Transmission	Automatic
Transmission speeds	6

Driver assistance

Standard: Adaptive cruise control, Anti-lock brakes, Automatic emergency braking, Backup camera, Blind-spot monitoring, Electronic stability control, Forward collision warning, Lane keeping assist

Filed by the manufacturer with NHTSA under the federal vehicle-identification rule and decoded from the VIN pattern — not a manufacturer press kit, so it describes the configurations we could identify rather than every trim (seen: EX (PHEV), EX Premium (PHEV), Graphite Edition (HEV), FE (HEV), LX (HEV), LX (PHEV)). Figures for the trim you are looking at may differ.

Dimensions & weight

Source: Transport Canada

Length	171.7 in
Width (body, without mirrors)	70.9 in
Height	60.6 in
Wheelbase	106.3 in
Track, front	61.8 in
Track, rear	62.2 in
Curb weight	3,166 lb
Weight distribution, front/rear	54/46

Measured by Transport Canada for its Canadian Vehicle Specifications database, which covers the North American versions of each model — here one configuration: 4-door SUV Hybrid. Where a range is shown, those versions differ. Width is the body without mirrors, which is why it can read narrower than a brochure figure. Before we used it we checked it against the US manufacturer press kits we hold (27 Sep 2026): wheelbase agreed within 1% on every vehicle we could compare, length on 98%, and the curb weight fell inside the manufacturer's range on 96%. Source dataset. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada. Licence.

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Recalls (3)

Source: NHTSA recall database

!critical

Power Train

SC276

121,411 vehicles 76% reported repaired

Problem 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. Risk A fire increases the risk of injury. Fix 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.

Filed with NHTSAOwner letter PDF Remedy instructions PDF Chronology PDF

NHTSA campaign 23V534000 reported Jul 31, 2023 Kia America, Inc. the full filing, and every vehicle covered →

!critical

Hybrid Propulsion System

SC256

27,030 vehicles 76% reported repaired

Problem 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. Risk Overheated rear seats increase the risk of a fire. Fix 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. 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.

Filed with NHTSAOwner letter PDF Remedy instructions PDF

NHTSA campaign 22V836000 reported Nov 11, 2022 Kia America, Inc. the full filing, and every vehicle covered →

!critical

Hybrid Propulsion System

SC168

27,030 vehicles 88% reported repaired built Nov 1, 2016 – Sep 11, 2017

Problem Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2017-2018 Kia Niro hybrid electric vehicles. The Main Relay within the Power Relay Assembly (PRA) may have inadequate connections between its contacts, causing increased electrical resistance. Risk The increased electrical resistance can overheat the rear seat which is above the PRA, increasing the risk of a fire. Fix Kia will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the Power Relay Assembly (PRA) for damage. If no damage is found, the main relay will be replaced. If damage is found, the PRA will be replaced. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began November 23, 2018. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC168.

Filed with NHTSAOwner letter PDF Remedy instructions PDF

NHTSA campaign 18V666000 reported Sep 25, 2018 Kia Motors America the full filing, and every vehicle covered →

These are vehicle campaigns — the ones the automaker filed against this model. NHTSA also records equipment recalls, filed by a parts maker against a component (a tyre, a child seat, an aftermarket part), and those are not listed here or counted above. nhtsa.gov/recalls shows both for a VIN.

NHTSA defect investigations

Electrical System:Propulsion System — Pedestrian alert sounds closed

NHTSA received a petition on or about July 18, 2022, requesting that Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 141 be applied to all electric and hybrid vehicles operating in the United States. The petition can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under ODI Number 11486072. FMVSS 141 establishes performance requirements for pedestrian alert sounds for motor vehicles. The standard applies to hybrid and electric vehicles that have a gross vehicle weight rating of 4,536 KG or less or are defined as low-speed vehicles. The standard became fully applicable to all such vehicles manufactured on or after March 1, 2021. On January 27, 2023, NHTSA opened Defect Petition (DP) 22-005 to evaluate the subject mat

Opened Jan 27, 2023 · closed Aug 7, 2023 · action DP22005 · the investigation’s page →

Whether any of this applies to one specific Niro

A campaign covers a build range, not a model year, so two identical-looking cars from 2018 can differ. Both of these check a VIN against the manufacturer’s own list, free, in about ten seconds. Kia publishes its own lookup because federal rule 49 CFR 573.15 requires it to, and to keep it current to within seven days.

NHTSA VIN check →Kia’s own VIN lookup →

Hear about a recall before the letter does

The manufacturer’s letter is the last step of a recall: it has up to 60 days after filing to mail owners, at the address on the registration. We email you the day NHTSA posts a recall on the 2018 Kia Niro, with what to do next. Nothing else, ever — no newsletter, no marketing, one-click unsubscribe in every message.

Owner complaints

Source: NHTSA complaint database

73complaints filed

6 involved a crash · 0 a fire · 4 injuries · 0 deaths reported

29 per 10,000 built · Kia reported 25,293 Niro built (its Early Warning production report to NHTSA)

Filed per year: 2018: 9 · 2019: 6 · 2020: 2 · 2021: 2 · 2022: 1 · 2023: 17 · 2024: 16 · 2025: 6 · 2026: 14

Most-cited components

Power Train 25

Engine 22

Electrical System 20

Unspecified 13

Service Brakes 6

Vehicle Speed Control 6

In owners' own words

Filed with NHTSA by the people who own these cars, one per problem area. Quoted as written, with anything identifying removed.

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.

Electrical System Feb 20, 2024 NHTSA owner report · ODI 11572995

In July 2023, Kia identified a defect that can increase the risk of an engine compartment fire while driving; namely that the printed circuit board in the hydraulic clutch actuator may become contaminated with fluid and lead to an electrical short circuit. To date, there is still no remedy available.

Engine Jan 2, 2024 NHTSA owner report · ODI 11563151

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. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair.

Power Train Nov 16, 2023 NHTSA owner report · ODI 11555439

On 2/15/2022 around 10:00AM, I was driving my vehicle as normal. Noticed brake lights ahead, I was about 3 car lengths back, which I always try to drive since I am on the road a lot and I prefer not to have an accident.

Service Brakes Feb 15, 2022 NHTSA owner report · ODI 11452082

Year/Make/Model: 2018 Kia Niro Hybrid Mileage at time of incident: approximately 69,000 Component: Hybrid Propulsion System / Powertrain My 2018 Kia Niro Hybrid has experienced five recurring "Hybrid System Failure — Turn Off Engine" errors occurring without warning while the vehicle was being operated.

Vehicle Speed Control Jun 1, 2026 NHTSA owner report · ODI 11741362

I was driving myself and two passengers on a highway at night in the rain. I was using the adaptive cruise control and was maintaining speed when i went through a puddle and I think the car hydroplaned a little.

Forward Collision Avoidance Jan 10, 2024 NHTSA owner report · ODI 11564643

Complaint counts are raw owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects, and scale with how many were sold. Use them to spot patterns, not to rank.

Reported by Kia itself: 3 death-or-injury claims on this model year in its quarterly Early Warning reports to NHTSA (49 CFR 579.21): 3 injured, as claimed, not verified — about 12 per 100,000 built. Every Niro model year, by year and system → Dated and by system, they are exhibit F of the defect dossier.

When owners reported it

Reported at 24k

miles, typically

Half the 23 owner reports with an odometer reading on file fall between 5,000 and 91,000 miles. That is when problems get reported, which is not the same as when they start — and not a failure rate, because nobody knows how many of these cars never had a problem at all.

Too few readings for a curve — the 23 on file: 9 under 10k, 2 10k–20k, 2 20k–30k, 2 40k–50k, 1 70k–80k, 1 90k–100k, 3 100k–150k, 3 150k +.

Odometer readings as filed by owners with NHTSA. Readings under 100 or over 400,000 miles are dropped as data entry rather than history, and a component needs at least 12 readings before a median is shown for it.

Crash ratings

Source: NHTSA NCAP

NHTSA has not published 5-Star crash ratings for this model year.

Service bulletins & campaigns

Source: NHTSA manufacturer communications

Communicationsfiled with NHTSA 145

Most recentmanufacturer date 2026-08-28

Kindsas classified by NHTSA 143 service bulletins, 2 others

Most often about: Electrical System, Engine, Equipment, Steering, Structure.

TSB_CLI049_R2 Service bulletin
2026-08-28 · Electrical System
TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: PARTIAL REPAIR – ELECTRICAL A/C COMPRESSOR - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. New/revised sections of this bulletin are indicated by a black bar in the margin area. This bulletin provides information regarding the partial repair of the Air Conditioning (A/C) compressor assembly on some 2011MY~ Optima Hybrid (TF HEV, JF HEV/PHEV), 2015MY~
PS797 Other
2025-12-09 · Back Over Prevention — Warnings
PITSTOP: TECHNICAL OPERATIONS: EXTERNAL DAMAGE TO ULTRASONIC SENSOR: This Pitstop provides information related to Parking Distance Warning (PDW) alerts and repairs involving ultrasonic sensors. The PDW system alerts the driver while parking, by calculating distance based on the difference in signal transmission and reception times between the vehicle (ultrasonic sensor) and an object. The membrane
TSB_TRA046_R5 Service bulletin
2025-04-17 · Power Train
TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: TRANSMISSION FLUID APPLICATION GUIDE - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. New/revised sections of this bulletin are indicated by a black bar in the margin area. This bulletin provides information relating to the correct transmission fluid type and fill quantity requirement for each Kia model. A flush is required ONLY when a transmission is
TSB_ENG222_R8 Service bulletin
2025-04-03 · Engine
TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: EXCESSIVE OIL CONSUMPTION NU/GAMMA/THETA/KAPPA ENGINES - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. New/revised sections of this bulletin are indicated by a black bar in the margin area. This bulletin provides information on diagnosing and/or repairing some 2011-2024MY vehicles (refer to the table on pages 9 and 10 for applicable models and engine
TSB_ELE378 Service bulletin
2025-03-20 · Electrical System
TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: SERVICE ACTION: KIA CONNECT MODEM RESET (SA611) - This bulletin outlines the procedure for resetting the modem in certain 2016-2025MY Kia vehicles listed on page 3 that are equipped with Kia Connect Services. The affected vehicles may encounter the following issues: remote Start/Climate Control function not working, vehicle Status on the Kia Access App not updating, con
TSB_ENG222_R7 Service bulletin
2025-02-28 · Engine
TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: EXCESSIVE OIL CONSUMPTION NU/GAMMA/THETA/KAPPA ENGINES - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. New/revised sections of this bulletin are indicated by a black bar in the margin area. This bulletin provides information on diagnosing and/or repairing some 2011-2024MY vehicles (refer to the tables on pages 8-9 for applicable models and engine), w
TSB_TRA046_R4 Service bulletin
2024-05-16 · Power Train
This bulletin provides information relating to the correct transmission fluid type and fill quantity requirement for each Kia model. A flush is required ONLY when a transmission is replaced.
TSB_CLI049_R1 Service bulletin
2023-06-26 · Visibility
TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: PARTIAL REPAIR - ELECTRICAL A/C COMPRESSOR - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. New/revised sections of this bulletin are indicated by a black bar in the margin area. This bulletin provides information regarding partial repair of the Air Conditioning (A/C) compressor assembly on some 2011MY~ Optima Hybrid (TF HEV, JF HEV/PHEV), 2015MY~ S

A service bulletin is the manufacturer telling its dealers how to diagnose or repair a known condition. It is not a recall, not a finding that the vehicle is defective, and the work is not automatically free — though a bulletin is often what a dealer works from when you describe a symptom, so quoting the document number can save a diagnosis. The count is every communication filed; the list shows the most recent, one entry per campaign, because a single campaign is usually filed as several documents on the same day. The summaries are NHTSA's; the full documents come from the manufacturer.

Diagnostic trouble codes on file

Source: NHTSA manufacturer communications and complaints

Codes documented against this model year in the federal record. A code appearing here does not mean this vehicle will set it — it means the code is part of this nameplate-year's documented history.

Code	What it means	Most often filed under	Where it appears
U1116	Manufacturer-defined — the meaning is set by the automaker, not the standard.	Electrical System · Battery →	6 bulletins
U1118	Manufacturer-defined — the meaning is set by the automaker, not the standard.	Electrical System · Battery →	6 bulletins
P0128 P0128 on Kia →	The engine is not reaching its normal operating temperature in the expected time — usually the thermostat.	Engine · Thermostat →	2 bulletins
P0A3C	Manufacturer-defined — the meaning is set by the automaker, not the standard.	Engine	2 bulletins
P0A3E	Manufacturer-defined — the meaning is set by the automaker, not the standard.	Engine	2 bulletins
P0A93	Manufacturer-defined — the meaning is set by the automaker, not the standard.	Engine	2 bulletins

Generic codes (the second character is 0 or 2) mean the same thing on every vehicle sold in the United States. Manufacturer-specific codes (1 or 3) mean whatever the automaker assigned, and no honest source can define them for you — which is why the ones here carry the evidence instead of a definition. A code is a link when enough separate federal documents name it across the catalogue to be worth a page of its own; the rest are listed here, where the vehicle is the context that makes them mean something.

At the New York inspection station

Source: New York State DMV

New York inspections 3.5%

failed emissions

609 initial inspections of 588 vehicles.

Measure	The 2018 Niro	Every 2018 vehicle	Behind it
Failed the emissions check	3.5%	3.0%	608
Failed the safety inspection	2.8%	1.9%	609
Air-bag warning lamp stayed lit	0%	0.22%	609
Miles driven a year	11,543	10,002	odometer at inspection
Average odometer	95,188	82,833	odometer at inspection

New York’s emissions test on these model years is an on-board diagnostics check: it fails a car whose check-engine light is on or whose self-tests have not finished. First inspections only, so a car that failed and came back is counted once; private and special plates, not taxis, livery or commercial plates. A rate appears only where at least 200 inspections stand behind it. “Every 2018 vehicle” is every 2018 model-year car, SUV and pickup inspected in the same window, all makes. This is the state’s record of test results, not a reliability score by itself. Source: New York State Department of Motor Vehicles, Vehicle Inspections (data.ny.gov, Open NY terms).

Niro by model year

all years, side by side →

Year Safety Recalls Complaints

2027 A^* 0 0 50 mpg 2026 A 0 2 253 mi 2025 A 1 20 253 mi 2024 B 2 19 253 mi 2023 C 4 65 253 mi 2022 D 3 74 239 mi 2021 B 2 12 239 mi 2020 C 3 63 239 mi 2019 B 1 101 239 mi 2018 this page D 3 73 50 mpg 2017 F 5 101 50 mpg

Common questions about the 2018 Niro

Source: EPA, NHTSA and manufacturer press kits

Does the 2018 Kia Niro have any recalls?

NHTSA has posted 3 recall campaigns for the 2018 Kia Niro, 3 of them rated critical. The most serious on file is 23V534000, covering Power Train. Check your own VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls; a recall applies to specific build ranges, not every car.

How safe is the 2018 Kia Niro?

NHTSA has not published a crash-test rating for the 2018 Kia Niro yet. On the recall record WhichTrim grades it D (61/100), which measures open and severe recalls rather than crash protection.

What is the fuel economy of the 2018 Kia Niro?

Across the 4 EPA-rated configurations of the 2018 Kia Niro, the best EPA combined figure is 50 mpg (MPGe on the electrified versions). Figures are the EPA's own, per configuration, and every one is listed above.

What are the dimensions of the 2018 Kia Niro?

Transport Canada measured it at 171.7 in long, 70.9 in wide (body, without mirrors), 60.6 in tall, on a 106.3 in wheelbase. Curb weight: 3,166 lb. Those are its measurements of the North American versions; every figure is in the table above.

What do owners complain about on the 2018 Kia Niro?

Owners have filed 73 complaints with NHTSA about the 2018 Kia Niro, most often about power train, engine, electrical system. Of those, 6 involved a crash, 4 reported injuries. Complaints are unverified owner reports, so treat the pattern as a signal and the individual report as an anecdote.

How clean is the 2018 Kia Niro?

The EPA smog rating for the 2018 Kia Niro is 7 out of 10. That score covers tailpipe pollutants other than greenhouse gases, and it only compares vehicles within the same model year. It is certified for all fifty states, so it can be registered new anywhere in the U.S. Its configurations were certified to different standards — California LEV-III SULEV30, Federal Tier 3 Bin 30 — which the table above lists per configuration.

Are there service bulletins for the 2018 Kia Niro?

The manufacturer has filed 145 service bulletins and related communications with NHTSA for the 2018 Kia Niro, most often covering electrical system, engine, equipment. The most recent is dated 2026-08-28. A bulletin is not a recall: it is the repair procedure a manufacturer sends its dealers for a condition it knows about, and the work is not automatically paid for. It is still worth knowing — if the symptom matches, quoting the bulletin number at the service desk can save a diagnosis. The document numbers and summaries are listed above.

How does the 2018 Kia Niro do at state inspection?

In New York’s inspection lanes over the 12 months to Oct 10, 2026, the 2018 Kia Niro failed the emissions check on 3.5% of first inspections — close to the 3.0% for every 2018 model-year vehicle inspected; and the safety inspection on 2.8% (every 2018 vehicle: 1.9%). The figures are New York State DMV’s own inspection records, first inspections only, and the table above sets each one against every vehicle of the same model year.

What we hold, and what an empty row means

Paid vehicle-history reports will not tell you the difference between “nothing happened to this car” and “we never received that record” — both of the big two say as much in their own help pages. Most of what is on this page comes from complete federal registers, so we can tell you which is which, row by row.

Data	Held	Source	What it covers — or what empty means
Fuel economy & configurations	4 configurations	EPA certification records	Every configuration the EPA certified for sale, with its own test figures.
Emission certificates	4 configurations	EPA emission certificates	Smog rating, standard and the sales area that decides where the car can be sold new.
Recalls	3	NHTSA recall campaigns	A complete federal register: every campaign covering this model year, with severity and advisory flags.
Owner complaints	73	NHTSA complaint database	Also complete, but unverified: these are reports owners filed, not findings. Counts scale with how many were sold.
Crash ratings	none	NHTSA NCAP	NHTSA has not tested this model year. Cars are selected for testing, so untested is not unsafe.
Service bulletins	145	NHTSA manufacturer communications	Everything the manufacturer told its dealers about a defect or malfunction, short of a recall.
Investigations	1	NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation	Open and closed defect investigations, with the agency's own narrative.
Driver-assist crash reports	none	NHTSA Standing General Order 2021-01	No report has been filed. Only entities named in the order report, and only crashes they hear of — so this is also what an unequipped car, or a manufacturer without telematics, looks like.
Specifications filed with NHTSA	12 fields	NHTSA vPIC, decoded from VIN patterns	What the manufacturer filed under the federal VIN rule — a configuration, not the full trim ladder.
Measured dimensions	7 fields	Transport Canada, Canadian Vehicle Specifications	Length, width, height, wheelbase, track and curb weight, measured on the North American versions.
Trims, pricing & equipment	none	Manufacturer press kit	We have not transcribed a press kit for this model year yet. This is our gap, not the manufacturer's — the one row here where an empty cell means we are behind.

Rebuilt nightly; this page was generated 2026-10-26. Every figure above is traceable to the source named beside it, and the JSON for this page carries the same values with their identifiers.

Sources & method

Safety Signal starts every model-year at 100 and subtracts points per open NHTSA recall campaign by severity: critical 15 (fire risk, park-outside or do-not-drive advisories), high 8 (brakes, steering, airbags, loss of drive power, structure, battery), moderate 6, minor 3 (software, labels, lighting fixed by an update). The most serious recall counts in full and each further one counts 85% of the one before, because a vehicle sold in millions is recalled more often than a rare one without being more dangerous — and because a flat subtraction bottomed the scale out, scoring a vehicle with 22 recalls within a point of one with six. A ≥ 90, B ≥ 80, C ≥ 70, D ≥ 60, otherwise F. Read it as what it counts: recall campaigns on the federal record, weighted by severity. The damping reduces the sales bias by roughly 40% but does not remove it: like our complaint counts, this is not normalized by how many were sold, so a best-seller still scores somewhat worse than an obscure model with the same real risk. NHTSA crash ratings, do-not-drive and park-outside advisories, and the crash, fire, injury and death counts in owner complaints are reported separately on every page and never blended into the letter — a vehicle can hold five stars and a poor letter at once, and where that happens we say so rather than leave you to notice. Because the scale subtracts from a clean sheet, a model year too new to have been recalled, complained about or bulletined scores full marks on an empty record; we label those grades provisional rather than present them as earned.

EPA figures come from fueleconomy.gov vehicle records. Recalls, complaints, investigations and crash ratings come from NHTSA's public flat files, refreshed nightly.

JSON for this page · API

2018 Kia Niro

Specs & fuel economy

Emissions & certification

Specifications filed with NHTSA

Dimensions Exterior

Engine Basics

Engine Output

Fuel Economy

Seating

Transmission

Driver assistance

Dimensions & weight

Factory warranty running out?

Recalls (3)

Power Train

Hybrid Propulsion System

Hybrid Propulsion System

NHTSA defect investigations

Whether any of this applies to one specific Niro

Hear about a recall before the letter does

Parts & accessories for the 2018 Kia Niro

Owner complaints

Most-cited components

In owners' own words

When owners reported it

miles, typically

Crash ratings

Service bulletins & campaigns

Diagnostic trouble codes on file

At the New York inspection station

failed emissions

Niro by model year

Common questions about the 2018 Niro

Does the 2018 Kia Niro have any recalls?

How safe is the 2018 Kia Niro?

What is the fuel economy of the 2018 Kia Niro?

What are the dimensions of the 2018 Kia Niro?

What do owners complain about on the 2018 Kia Niro?

How clean is the 2018 Kia Niro?

Are there service bulletins for the 2018 Kia Niro?

How does the 2018 Kia Niro do at state inspection?

What we hold, and what an empty row means

Where to go next

Sources & method