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What 9 owners told NHTSA about the 2021 Kia Niro Phev

These are the actual owner complaints behind this car’s reliability verdict, filed with the federal government, unedited. They’re unverified reports, not confirmed defects: read them as leads for your pre-purchase inspection, not a diagnosis.

All (9)Crash / fire / injury (1)Transmission & drivetrain (3)Electrical system (2)Engine (2)Visibility & wipers (2)Speed control (1)

1 of 9 complaints match · crash/fire/injury only · clear filters

Jul 10, 2024Speed controlCrash1 injury

I was backing out of a tandem parking spot in a private garage and got too close to a pillar, and tried to pull forward into the spot. It felt like the car got snagged on the pillar, but while pulling forward slowly, the gas pedal snapped off and the car accelerated quickly and uncontrollably. I was able to avoid hitting other cars but drove straight into a concrete wall despite immediately braking. I'm relatively uninjured, but if it had happened in a less controlled environment and/or I hadn't reacted as quickly, there could have been serious injuries to myself or others. There was no indication of an issue prior, and the car is currently in storage with my insurance company and will be appraised next week. I have photos of the broken pedal.

NHTSA ODI 11600985

Working with the data? Download all 9 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 15, 2026

How to use these: a complaint is one owner’s report, filed voluntarily and published unverified. Patterns matter more than any single story. If several owners describe the same failure at similar mileage, put that system at the top of your pre-purchase inspection list. Back to the full 2021 Kia Niro Phev verdict →