Open airbag recall, charging failures — 2023-25 Kia Niro EV owners may qualify for a California buyback. Free case review. Kia pays your attorney fees.
You bought a 2023-2025 Kia Niro EV because it promised clean, affordable, worry-free driving. What some owners got instead was a vehicle whose passenger-side airbag and seatbelt might not fire in a crash — caused by a wiring harness beneath the front seat that was improperly routed at the factory and then slowly abraded every time someone slid the seat forward or back. Kia acknowledged the defect in January 2025 and issued recall 25V024 (Kia SC332). It covers 21,909 Niro EV units built between August 2022 and December 2024 that came with a manual front passenger seat. Under the recall, dealers inspect the floor wiring assembly, replace any damaged harness, re-route the bundle correctly, and add protective coverings — all at no charge. But this is a safety-critical repair, and our research notes show parts listed as TBD at multiple dealers into early 2026, meaning some owners have been waiting on the recall remedy for over a year. The SRS recall is the lead defect, but Niro EV owners have also dealt with other confirmed issues: the Integrated Charging Control Unit (ICCU) in some 2023 models fails, cutting off Level 1 and Level 2 AC charging entirely while leaving DC fast charging intact (TSB ELE298). A separate VCMS software defect in 2023-2024 models causes Level 2 charging sessions to cut off mid-charge or slow to half speed — turning a 6-hour overnight charge into a 12-hour ordeal. Kia issued a voluntary service campaign (SC323) covering approximately 18,892 vehicles for that defect. California's lemon law does not require a vehicle to be dangerous — it requires a defect that substantially impairs the vehicle's use, value, or safety. For a battery-electric vehicle whose charging system does not work reliably, or for a vehicle carrying an open safety recall on its airbag and seatbelt system, the threshold may already be met.
The issues owners report most, ranked by severity — each one verified against a cited NHTSA source.
Airbag warning light illuminates; front passenger airbag and seatbelt pretensioner may fail to fire in a crash; side curtain airbag may deploy without a collision; passenger airbag suppression (for child seats) may not work
Vehicle cannot charge on Level 1 (120V) or Level 2 (240V) AC chargers; DC fast charging still functions; 'Check electric vehicle system' and/or 'Stop vehicle and check power supply' warning on instrument cluster; MIL (malfunction indicator) illuminated; 12V auxiliary battery repeatedly draining
Level 2 (240V) charging session stops unexpectedly mid-charge; Kia Connect app sends 'Charge Interrupted' alert; charging speed de-rates from ~9 kW to ~5 kW, extending a full charge from ~6–7 hours to 12+ hours
Sudden loss of drive power while driving; possible clunking or grinding from front drivetrain before failure
Grinding noise from front drivetrain; loss of drive power; differential lock-up causing vehicle to pull sharply or become immovable
A settled Margarian Law case on this exact model, published with the actual settlement math.
Open any defect for the symptoms and why it matters for a California lemon-law claim. Each is tied to a cited NHTSA source.
Airbag warning light illuminates; front passenger airbag and seatbelt pretensioner may fail to fire in a crash; side curtain airbag may deploy without a collision; passenger airbag suppression (for child seats) may not work
Direct safety-system failure; airbag/seatbelt non-deployment is a per-se safety defect. Vehicles built Aug 2022–Dec 2024 with manual passenger seat. Any repeat repair attempts or SRS-light returns after remedy support nonconformity claims.
Dealer inspects floor wiring under front passenger seat; replaces harness if damaged; re-routes harness correctly and installs additional protective coverings — free of charge
Vehicle cannot charge on Level 1 (120V) or Level 2 (240V) AC chargers; DC fast charging still functions; 'Check electric vehicle system' and/or 'Stop vehicle and check power supply' warning on instrument cluster; MIL (malfunction indicator) illuminated; 12V auxiliary battery repeatedly draining
Loss of AC charging renders the vehicle unusable as a BEV without DC fast-charge infrastructure. Repeat ICCU failures or inability to charge at home after repair strongly support substantial impairment. Secondary 12V drain risk also creates safety exposure.
ICCU unit replacement per TSB ELE298; dependent on which DTC(s) are stored
Level 2 (240V) charging session stops unexpectedly mid-charge; Kia Connect app sends 'Charge Interrupted' alert; charging speed de-rates from ~9 kW to ~5 kW, extending a full charge from ~6–7 hours to 12+ hours
Approximately 18,892 vehicles affected. Halving of usable charging speed substantially impairs the vehicle's utility as a BEV, especially for owners relying on overnight home charging. Documented by OEM as a software defect warranting a proactive service campaign.
VCMS ECU software update installed by dealer under Voluntary Service Campaign SC323; owner notification letters Oct 31, 2024
Sudden loss of drive power while driving; possible clunking or grinding from front drivetrain before failure
Sudden loss of motive power at speed is a safety hazard. Very small population (204 Niro EVs); verify VIN eligibility. If vehicle was within the production window and dealer replacement was required, documenting the repair supports defect-at-delivery claims.
Dealer replaces drive shaft with correctly heat-treated unit, free of charge (SC295)
Grinding noise from front drivetrain; loss of drive power; differential lock-up causing vehicle to pull sharply or become immovable
Differential lock-up at speed is catastrophic — loss of control risk. Extremely small VIN population (4 Niro EV units). For a client vehicle within the production window, this represents a severe manufacturing defect; GDU replacement documents substantial defect.
Complete GDU replacement by dealer, free of charge (SC308)
open
Floor wiring assembly beneath the front passenger seat may be damaged by repeated manual seat fore-aft adjustment due to improper harness routing at assembly; damaged wires disable or inadvertently trigger SRS airbag and seatbelt pretensioner systems
closed
Differential gear bolts within the Gear Drive Unit (GDU) may not have been properly torqued at the differential gear supplier during assembly; bolts loosen over time, damaging GDU housing and reduction gear, potentially causing differential lock-up
closed
Left-hand front drive shaft may have been improperly heat-treated by supplier, reducing structural integrity below design spec; shaft can fracture under normal driving load causing immediate loss of motive power
Every item below comes from this vehicle's documented defects. The more you recognize, the more a free case review is worth your time.
California's Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty Act protects buyers and lessees of new vehicles purchased or leased in California. If the manufacturer is unable to repair a substantial defect after a reasonable number of attempts, you may be entitled to a full repurchase of the vehicle — the purchase price, taxes, and fees, minus a mileage offset — or a comparable replacement vehicle, or a negotiated cash settlement. The law creates a rebuttable presumption that a substantial defect exists when: the manufacturer has made two or more unsuccessful attempts to repair a defect that could cause death or serious bodily injury (such as an airbag or seatbelt failure); or four or more unsuccessful attempts for any other substantial defect; or the vehicle has been out of service for 30 or more cumulative days during the warranty period. Kia America is required to pay your attorney's fees if you prevail, which means most California lemon law cases cost the owner nothing out of pocket. The Niro EV's SRS recall — an open safety recall on the airbag and seatbelt system with documented parts shortages — combined with potential charging system failures that impair the vehicle's core function as a battery-electric vehicle, makes this vehicle a strong candidate for a lemon law evaluation. The above is general information only and is not legal advice; results depend on the specific facts of your situation.
“Could not duplicate” doesn't mean the defect isn't real. Here's exactly what to do to protect a potential California lemon-law claim.
Document the moment it happens. Photos, video, and screenshots of any warning lights — with the date and the mileage.
Get a repair order every visit — even “found nothing.” That paperwork is the foundation of a claim.
Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Note any recall that has no available remedy yet.
Track your out-of-service days. California law counts the cumulative days your vehicle spends in the shop.
Keep loaner & rental records. Alternate-transport paperwork during long repairs matters.
Save everything in one place. Symptoms, dates, repair orders, and every repeat visit — the intermittent ones especially.
If the dealer writes 'no trouble found' (NTF) or 'could not duplicate' (CND) on your repair order, that visit still counts as a repair attempt under California law. Here is how to protect your record: 1. Document every symptom before each visit. For the SRS recall specifically, write down the date the airbag warning light appeared, how long it stayed on, and whether it returned after a prior dealer visit. Photograph the dashboard warning. 2. Ask the service advisor to pull all stored Diagnostic Trouble Codes — historical and active. For the SRS issue, relevant codes relate to the SRS control module and floor harness continuity. For the ICCU and VCMS charging faults, ask specifically about DTC P1BAD00 (VCMS charging temperature fault) and any codes flagging the on-board charger. 3. For the SRS recall: ask whether recall 25V024 (Kia SC332) has been applied to your VIN. If parts are unavailable, ask for that to be documented on the repair order. Days waiting on backordered recall parts count toward your days-out-of-service total under California's lemon law. 4. For charging faults: ask whether TSB ELE298 (ICCU replacement) and voluntary service campaign SC323 (VCMS software update) have been checked against your VIN's production date and build window. 5. Keep every repair order, every recall notification letter, every service estimate, and any written communication from the dealer or Kia about your vehicle. 6. If your Niro EV has been in service multiple times for the same symptom — particularly the airbag warning light or charging failure — and the symptom returns after each repair, you may already be within the lemon law's presumption zone.
The 2023-2025 Kia Niro EV's primary recall — NHTSA 25V024 — sits at the top of the severity scale. An airbag and seatbelt system that may not protect the front passenger in a crash is not a cosmetic inconvenience; it is a per-se safety defect. The recall has been open since January 2025, and parts have been unavailable at multiple dealers into 2026. If your Niro EV has the airbag warning light on, has returned to the dealer for this recall more than once, or has been waiting on backordered parts for weeks, you should speak with a California lemon law attorney. The charging-system defects — while lower in severity — compound the picture: a battery-electric vehicle that cannot reliably charge at home is substantially impaired in its primary function. Any Niro EV owner with two or more dealer visits for the same unresolved defect, or with 30 or more cumulative days out of service, should request a free case evaluation.
— The Margarian Law team
Does your 2023-2025 Kia Niro EV have the airbag warning light on? Has the SC332 recall been open on your VIN without a completed repair? Has your home charging stopped working or been unreliable? California law may entitle you to a full repurchase or replacement. Get a free case review — no cost to you, and Kia pays attorney fees if you prevail.
If you own a 2023, 2024, or 2025 Kia Niro EV with a manual front passenger seat, your vehicle is almost certainly covered by NHTSA recall 25V024 (Kia Service Campaign SC332, issued January 2025). The recall covers 21,909 Niro EV units built between August 10, 2022 and December 13, 2024. The defect: the floor wiring harness beneath the front passenger seat was improperly routed at the factory. Every time someone slides the seat forward or back, the wire bundle rubs against the seat track and gradually wears through the insulation. Once damaged, the wiring can disrupt the SRS circuit — meaning the passenger airbag and seatbelt pretensioner may not deploy in a crash, or the side curtain airbag may deploy without one. Vehicles with a power-adjustable front passenger seat are not affected. Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov to confirm your recall status. If the airbag warning light is on, bring the vehicle to a Kia dealer and specifically reference recall SC332 / 25V024.
This is the characteristic symptom of an Integrated Charging Control Unit (ICCU) failure, which Kia addressed in Technical Service Bulletin ELE298 (September 2023). The ICCU is the on-board component that handles Level 1 (120V) and Level 2 (240V) AC charging; DC fast charging bypasses it entirely. When the ICCU's internal transistors fail — typically from thermal cycling or voltage stress — AC home charging stops working while DC fast charging continues. Affected vehicles: 2023 Niro EVs produced between January 4, 2022 and March 29, 2023. If you see 'Check electric vehicle system' or 'Stop vehicle and check power supply' on the instrument cluster, or if your 12V auxiliary battery keeps draining, ask your Kia dealer to scan for stored diagnostic trouble codes and to check whether TSB ELE298 applies to your production date. ICCU replacement is covered under the manufacturer's warranty if the defect is confirmed.
Yes. Kia issued Voluntary Service Campaign SC323 (companion Technical Service Bulletin ELE288) in October 2024 for this exact problem. Approximately 18,892 Niro EVs built between July 11, 2022 and February 23, 2024 have a software defect in the Vehicle Charge Management System (VCMS) ECU. The software over-reacts to connector temperature variation, either interrupting the charging session entirely or throttling speed from the expected ~9 kW down to ~5 kW — more than doubling the time needed for a full charge. Kia mailed owner notification letters on October 31, 2024. The fix is a software update applied by the dealer at no charge. If your Kia Connect app has been sending 'Charge Interrupted' alerts, or you have noticed overnight charges failing to complete, ask your dealer to verify whether campaign SC323 has been applied to your VIN and to check for diagnostic trouble code P1BAD00.
Yes, in California it can. Under the Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty Act, the 30-day-out-of-service presumption counts cumulative days during the warranty period that your vehicle is in the shop or unavailable for your use because the manufacturer or dealer cannot complete a warranty repair. Days spent waiting on backordered recall parts are generally counted toward this total. NHTSA complaint records document owners whose SC332 floor wiring recall was listed with parts as TBD at dealerships — with no timeline provided by Kia — into early 2026. If your vehicle has been at the dealer or has been driven in a recalled condition because parts are unavailable, document every date the car was in service, every date you called the dealer for an update, and save every repair order. If your cumulative out-of-service days approach or exceed 30 days, or if the dealer has made two or more attempts to repair the same safety defect without success, speak with a California lemon law attorney. This is general information, not legal advice.
You may qualify. California's Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty Act applies to new Niro EVs purchased or leased in California and still within the manufacturer's warranty. It requires Kia to repurchase or replace a vehicle when a substantial defect cannot be repaired after a reasonable number of attempts. The law presumes a substantial defect when: Kia has made two or more unsuccessful attempts to repair a safety-related defect (such as the airbag and seatbelt recall); or four or more attempts for any other defect; or the vehicle has been out of service 30 or more cumulative days during the warranty period. A Niro EV with an unresolved open airbag/seatbelt recall and documented parts delays, or one whose AC charging system has failed repeatedly, may present qualifying circumstances. If you prevail, Kia pays your attorney fees — meaning most California lemon law cases cost the owner nothing out of pocket. This is general information and not legal advice.
Do not ignore it. An airbag warning light means the SRS system has detected a fault and the airbags, seatbelt pretensioners, or related safety systems may not function in a crash. For a 2023-2025 Niro EV with a manual front passenger seat, the most likely cause is the floor wiring harness defect covered by NHTSA recall 25V024 (Kia SC332). Take the vehicle to a Kia dealer and ask specifically that they inspect the floor wiring beneath the front passenger seat per recall SC332. Before you go: photograph the warning light, note the date, mileage, and any recent history of passenger-seat adjustment. Ask the service advisor to document all stored SRS-related diagnostic trouble codes on the repair order — not just the active ones. If the dealer tells you parts are unavailable, get that documented in writing on the repair order. Save that document. If the light returns after a repair, or if multiple dealer visits have not resolved it, that pattern may support a California lemon law evaluation.
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