- Kia is recalling thousands of Niro EVs over a potential fire risk.
- The vehicles are equipped with a safety plug that can melt and start a fire or a loss of power.
- No injuries or fires have been reported, but owners are being advised not to charge their vehicle in a garage until a new safety plug has been installed.
Kia is recalling 2,209 Niro EVs from the 2022 model year. They have a high voltage battery safety plug that can overheat and melt, which can cause a fire or a loss of power while driving.
According to the Safety Recall Report, the “contact surfaces of the high voltage battery safety plug may develop high electrical resistance” over time. Kia isn’t exactly sure why, but the automaker believes the issue is related to a “supplier deviation in the manufacturing of the Female-Female terminal.”
More: Kia Niro EV And EV9 May Lose Power While Driving
Regardless of what’s causing the electrical resistance, it can result in a big issue if it occurs while the vehicle is being charged or driven. In particular, that’s when the safety plug can melt, cause a loss of power, and / or start a fire.
Kia first became aware of a potential problem in July of 2023, when they received a report of a Niro EV shutting off while driving and a dealer found the safety plug had been melting. The automaker looked into the issue, but it appeared to be an isolated incident.
Despite this, the company continued to investigate and sent parts to Korea for further analysis. They informed their North American counterparts about a potentially similar incident involving a vehicle in Portugal.
In February of this year, Kia North America got a report about a Niro EV that wouldn’t start. A dealer inspection found melting on the safety plug. A third vehicle with a melting safety plug was found in March and two more were discovered in April.
Kia isn’t aware of any injuries, crashes, fatalities or fires related to the issue, but it’s better to be safe than sorry. As a result, owners are being instructed “not to charge their vehicle in a garage or any other covered structure until the recall repair is completed.”
The repair will see dealers replace the safety plug with a new one that has a “solid bus bar connection with no Female-Female terminal.”
