Kia Recalls 80K Niros over Airbags, Seatbelts That Might Not Work
Kia is recalling 80,225 Niro models due to a potential issue that may cause the front passenger-side airbag or seatbelt to malfunction.
The recall affects 2023–2025 Kia Niro Hybrid, Plug-in Hybrid, and EV variants that have a manually adjustable front-passenger seat.
Kia says owners will be notified by March 14, 2025, and they'll need to bring their vehicles to a dealer for inspection and a potential repair.
There's a recall out for Kia Niro models with manually adjustable front seats, which could damage wiring and disable the passenger's airbag and seatbelt. The recall affects roughly 80,000 Niros (2023 to 2025 models) without a power front-passenger seat, and that applies regardless of whether it's the hybrid, plug-in hybrid, or EV.
Kia submitted the recall to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) on January 17, 2025. According to the recall report, the malfunction can happen when the wiring under the front seat is damaged by repeated sliding movements. This can result in the passenger-side front airbag not deploying, the seatbelt pretensioner not working, or even the airbag inadvertently going off. If any of those issues occur, the person riding shotgun is obviously going to have a bad time.
To fix the problem, Kia says affected owners will be notified by mail and instructed to bring their Niro to a dealer for inspection. If necessary, the floor wiring will be rerouted and covered with additional protection to prevent future damage from the sliding mechanism. Kia will cover the costs under warranty and reimburse owners if they paid to have the issue fixed before the recall was announced. While dealers have already been notified, Niro owners will be notified by March 14, 2025.
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