Good morning,
I have a 2020 Kia Niro EV and I wanted to share my experience so far with some of the major issues the Niro's seem to have.
I have approx. 59,500 miles on my Niro. The vehicle is at the dealer now and I can see that they charged it to 100% last night, I am showing 276 miles for my range. My full charge estimates hovers between 265 and 280 with 286 being the highest ever for me. I live in San Antonio TX, it's hot and I have the A/C on 90% of the year. I drive a mix of highways, traffic and back roads. I have tracked the mileage multiple times, and I do get very close to what the estimate is at full charge. Since the A/C is usually just on, the mileage will drop to about 250 at 100% once I get the A/C on, but it stays true, and I would get a full 250 miles if I wanted. Love the range and I truly do love the car. It meets our daily needs as the city driver and only once have I taken it beyond its range and needed a fast charger. Usually, we pile into the Sorento Hybrid for longer trips, but I just wanted to check off that box of doing a trip that required fast charging and once that was done, Ghostie (Car name, White Niro EV) just drives around San Antonio and is my everyday go to vehicle.
I knew early on about the 710 Motor from the forums, so I have always listened for it. Not long ago I started to notice it but it was not very loud and recently it got louder and louder. It was to a point where I could hear the clicking under 15 MPH easily and passengers would comment on it too. I also started to receive a low coolant warning error as well. My driver’s side mirror motor was also out so I figured with the holidays and less need for driving, it was time to finally take her in.
I took Ghostie to Ancira Kia on Bandera Road here in San Antonio on 11/12/2024. But I came prepared. I know that we don't have a lot of Niro EV's in this area so I don't expect every service advisor to be ready to go with every TSB and issue a car may have. So when I got there, I explained that I had some known issues but I was going to send him what I already knew/had. I obtained his email, and I emailed him the TSB for the Motor Replacement and the low coolant warning issue and then just explained the issue of the mirror which is much easier to diagnose in there on the spot. He said he would look over my emails with a tech and give me a call. It was easy, simple and we did not have to try to dig into the issues.
A few hours later he called and said that absolutely, I was having issues with similarities with the TSB and the noise. They put the car up on a ramp and ran it and they could localize the noise to the Motor/Gear Reduction. They also verified the low coolant error as that error was popping up on the dashboard as they were test driving it.
So, they sent in a Tech Line request to Kia requesting the best next steps. They were fairly decent at keeping me updated but I did call a few times to check the status. Once they sent in a tech line request, I also called Kia Corporate to open a case. I did this not because of the service at Ancira, but the staff at Kia Corporate will follow and track the repair with you and make calls if/when it’s needed. Pam, at Kia, was able to see the request, she submitted some info and that night, Pam had emailed me that the Tech Line had responded and approved a full Motor replacement. I contacted Daniel, the service advisor the next day. He stated the same and said because of the cost associated to it, a District Services Manager would need to approve it. This was approx. Tuesday the 19th. They said I could have the motor replaced by that Friday if it goes well. So on Thursday, I called and asked for the status. Daniel was off but another advisor said it was still pending as the District Services Manger had no approved it yet. That was really upsetting to hear as it’s been a few days and now the Friday time schedule won’t be met. I had been borrowing a family members car but stated I would now need a rental. So I emailed Pam back at Kia, within a few moments she had called, and talked to Ancira, I believe the Services Manager and about an hour later, Pam emailed me and said it’s been approved by the District Service Manager. Daniel called me on Friday and said it’s been ordered and would arrive Monday morning.
By Monday night (This past Monday, the 25th) the motor had been replaced. They stated they swapped my 710 for the 712, the test drove was great and it’s quiet and working as expected. The issue as of last night however is that the low coolant warning is still populating. He said that the tech flushed the coolant multiple times, replaced the sensor, drove the car and cleared the error but it kept coming back. So today, the 26th, I am waiting to see what they do and find out. I can see in the app, they have driven it today and are likely actively working on it. So the motor is complete, I had no pushback at all minus getting the additional approval from the District Manager but Kia Corporate handled that for me and I am just waiting to see what happens with the coolant sensor. I was advised that if it’s not repaired by tomorrow, I can get a Kia Rental on them. I would have pushed for one sooner but as I said, I have a family member who just had Knee Surgery so that are not driving anyways.
I hope this helps others, let me know if you have any questions. But if you are starting to get the noise or have the coolant sensor error, go prepared with Kia’s bulletins, our cars are the minority of what is coming into those service centers and as I said, I can’t expect them to know every error or recall or TSB.
I have attached the low coolant warning TSB and the motor replacement TSB. The motor replacement has video links so you can verify if the noise is the same.
Thank you everyone.
I have a 2020 Kia Niro EV and I wanted to share my experience so far with some of the major issues the Niro's seem to have.
I have approx. 59,500 miles on my Niro. The vehicle is at the dealer now and I can see that they charged it to 100% last night, I am showing 276 miles for my range. My full charge estimates hovers between 265 and 280 with 286 being the highest ever for me. I live in San Antonio TX, it's hot and I have the A/C on 90% of the year. I drive a mix of highways, traffic and back roads. I have tracked the mileage multiple times, and I do get very close to what the estimate is at full charge. Since the A/C is usually just on, the mileage will drop to about 250 at 100% once I get the A/C on, but it stays true, and I would get a full 250 miles if I wanted. Love the range and I truly do love the car. It meets our daily needs as the city driver and only once have I taken it beyond its range and needed a fast charger. Usually, we pile into the Sorento Hybrid for longer trips, but I just wanted to check off that box of doing a trip that required fast charging and once that was done, Ghostie (Car name, White Niro EV) just drives around San Antonio and is my everyday go to vehicle.
I knew early on about the 710 Motor from the forums, so I have always listened for it. Not long ago I started to notice it but it was not very loud and recently it got louder and louder. It was to a point where I could hear the clicking under 15 MPH easily and passengers would comment on it too. I also started to receive a low coolant warning error as well. My driver’s side mirror motor was also out so I figured with the holidays and less need for driving, it was time to finally take her in.
I took Ghostie to Ancira Kia on Bandera Road here in San Antonio on 11/12/2024. But I came prepared. I know that we don't have a lot of Niro EV's in this area so I don't expect every service advisor to be ready to go with every TSB and issue a car may have. So when I got there, I explained that I had some known issues but I was going to send him what I already knew/had. I obtained his email, and I emailed him the TSB for the Motor Replacement and the low coolant warning issue and then just explained the issue of the mirror which is much easier to diagnose in there on the spot. He said he would look over my emails with a tech and give me a call. It was easy, simple and we did not have to try to dig into the issues.
A few hours later he called and said that absolutely, I was having issues with similarities with the TSB and the noise. They put the car up on a ramp and ran it and they could localize the noise to the Motor/Gear Reduction. They also verified the low coolant error as that error was popping up on the dashboard as they were test driving it.
So, they sent in a Tech Line request to Kia requesting the best next steps. They were fairly decent at keeping me updated but I did call a few times to check the status. Once they sent in a tech line request, I also called Kia Corporate to open a case. I did this not because of the service at Ancira, but the staff at Kia Corporate will follow and track the repair with you and make calls if/when it’s needed. Pam, at Kia, was able to see the request, she submitted some info and that night, Pam had emailed me that the Tech Line had responded and approved a full Motor replacement. I contacted Daniel, the service advisor the next day. He stated the same and said because of the cost associated to it, a District Services Manager would need to approve it. This was approx. Tuesday the 19th. They said I could have the motor replaced by that Friday if it goes well. So on Thursday, I called and asked for the status. Daniel was off but another advisor said it was still pending as the District Services Manger had no approved it yet. That was really upsetting to hear as it’s been a few days and now the Friday time schedule won’t be met. I had been borrowing a family members car but stated I would now need a rental. So I emailed Pam back at Kia, within a few moments she had called, and talked to Ancira, I believe the Services Manager and about an hour later, Pam emailed me and said it’s been approved by the District Service Manager. Daniel called me on Friday and said it’s been ordered and would arrive Monday morning.
By Monday night (This past Monday, the 25th) the motor had been replaced. They stated they swapped my 710 for the 712, the test drove was great and it’s quiet and working as expected. The issue as of last night however is that the low coolant warning is still populating. He said that the tech flushed the coolant multiple times, replaced the sensor, drove the car and cleared the error but it kept coming back. So today, the 26th, I am waiting to see what they do and find out. I can see in the app, they have driven it today and are likely actively working on it. So the motor is complete, I had no pushback at all minus getting the additional approval from the District Manager but Kia Corporate handled that for me and I am just waiting to see what happens with the coolant sensor. I was advised that if it’s not repaired by tomorrow, I can get a Kia Rental on them. I would have pushed for one sooner but as I said, I have a family member who just had Knee Surgery so that are not driving anyways.
I hope this helps others, let me know if you have any questions. But if you are starting to get the noise or have the coolant sensor error, go prepared with Kia’s bulletins, our cars are the minority of what is coming into those service centers and as I said, I can’t expect them to know every error or recall or TSB.
I have attached the low coolant warning TSB and the motor replacement TSB. The motor replacement has video links so you can verify if the noise is the same.
Thank you everyone.