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2020 PHEV "Check active air flap system"

36K views 76 replies 20 participants last post by  Termite 
#1 ·
Not quite 4 weeks and 550 miles into my lease and the check engine light comes on with a "Check active air flap system" message. On top of that my Kia Access app reports a P059F - possible condition with the TPMS. I've been loving the car up to this point, but am concerned I'm already having issues with it.
 
#35 ·
Well the light and warning came back on today. Took the car back to the dealer again and this time Kia told them to replace the air flap system. It took them about 2 hours to do. I got the car back. No light so far. Hopefully this is the end of this saga

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#36 ·
I've had my 2020 for two weeks..... 700 miles and this just popped up as well. I wonder if it's also affecting my MPG as well..... because it's been horrible. Two tanks so far and only averaging 37MPG. My old one NEVER even went into the 30's. I always averaged 43-46 MPG on that one. This one is struggling to stay around 36-37
 
#41 ·
I just traded in my 2018 Kia Niro Touring for a 2020 Niro PHEV EX on Monday 2 days ago. Didn't even move the car and it had Active air and P059F code. They pull into service and 20 minutes later say they just had to set something. 1 day later Tuesday it comes back and I had noticed EV/HEV and rear parking buttons next to shifter not working, which I figured a plug must not be connected because the dealer had ordered or received it that way with an interior light kit and the manufacturer installed it not the dealer. Brought right back in with only 112 miles on it and they almost didn't want to give me a loaner. I do field service work so a ride to an office won't cut it. They never got to it so far on Wednesday. Hopefully tomorrow.
 
#47 ·
I'm already looking into this. I got all my documents in order and took note of the miles. I also saved all the pics of the light on that I took before leaving the car with the dealer. On Monday I'm basically going just to get all the records and make sure I'm not missing anything. I'm planning on sending Kia a letter as required to begin my lemon law claim

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#48 ·
Ranger20, thanks for starting this discussion. We purchased a new 2020 Kia Niro EX Premium PHEV on 10/10/2020 and regret it. Less than 2 days and 50 miles in I had the "Check Active Air Flap System" warning. How ridiculous that a well know and very widespread fault like this is not addressed by the manufacturer BEFORE the sale. The 1-800 people were well aware of the problem but could not answer even the most simple question. Q - Is the vehicle safe to drive? A - If you feel the vehicle is unsafe then don't drive it. Very cavalier but I suspect the rep was not proved detail and script. I have attempted to contact Kia directly and and also via the BBB. From what I see the dealer is also a victim. I am building my case for a Lemon Law return. How sad and quickly a large and exciting purchase goes wrong so quickly.
 
#49 ·
Ranger20, thanks for starting this discussion. We purchased a new 2020 Kia Niro EX Premium PHEV on 10/10/2020 and regret it. Less than 2 days and 50 miles in I had the "Check Active Air Flap System" warning. How ridiculous that a well know and very widespread fault like this is not addressed by the manufacturer BEFORE the sale. The 1-800 people were well aware of the problem but could not answer even the most simple question. Q - Is the vehicle safe to drive? A - If you feel the vehicle is unsafe then don't drive it. Very cavalier but I suspect the rep was not proved detail and script. I have attempted to contact Kia directly and and also via the BBB. From what I see the dealer is also a victim. I am building my case for a Lemon Law return. How sad and quickly a large and exciting purchase goes wrong so quickly.
I completely understand your frustrations. I myself have taken the car in 3 separate times for the same issue. The last time they supposedly replaced the Air Flap System. I'm going to my dealer tomorrow morning for the 4th time. I will play this smart though and I will be requesting for copies of all the work done while I let them work on the car this 4th time. I did a lot of research on lemon law claims and as soon as you mention it to Kia or the dealer they will stop cooperating with you. You have to allow them to make three repair attempts at a minimum. The car is driveable with the issue it just affects fuel economy (which is the main selling point of the Niro) but isn't a safety issue. It should still qualify for the Lemon Law but look up the process for your state. In FL I have to notify Kia and proceed through the BBB Auto Line first. I will not be accepting a settlement of any kind via this route unless Kia really offers me what they should. I fully expect to fight via BBB Arbitration and rejecting the settlement and then contacting a Lemon Law attorney since Kia appears to be stingy when it comes to Lemon Law settlements. The whole process takes around 40 days so I've already started thinking about what other car I want to get. Definitely not a Kia. It's a shame because my 2017 Niro was perfect but my 2020 Niro has this issue. I'm gonna lose money anyhow as I already invested around $350 worth of accessories which I will not receive a penny for

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#53 ·
Maybe you should contact a lemon law lawyer first. At least hear what they have to say. Might save you a hassle if you let them handle it from the beginning????
Unfortunately FL being a Republican state sides with big businesses against the interests of consumers and requires people to go through the State of FL certified arbitration program (which Kia does through BBB Auto Line) before continuing the process. At least that's my understanding from my research so far. I will be contacting a Lemon Law office tomorrow just to see what they say

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#55 ·
During my lifetime politics don't seem to matter who's at the switch. Nothing changes - I see the mouth moving and feel the hand in my pocket- words are usually just that. KIA needs to do the right and simply sell a new car not infested with day one problems and respect their customers. I hope they get this. Lawyers will fight a matter of principal down to your last dollar.
 
#56 ·
During my lifetime politics don't seem to matter who's at the switch. Nothing changes - I see the mouth moving and feel the hand in my pocket- words are usually just that. KIA needs to do the right and simply sell a new car not infested with day one problems and respect their customers. I hope they get this. Lawyers will fight a matter of principal down to your last dollar.
Lemon law attorney fees are paid for by the manufacturer in most states. I agree about Kia though. The only reason I got a 2020 Niro was because my 2017 Niro was incredible. It's crazy to see so many others here and around the internet expressing this same Air Flap Issue with the 2020 models without so much as a response from Kia

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#58 ·
I too visited the dealer today. During the visit the technician corresponded with Kia technicians in Cali. The issue is well know as is the course of action.

  • Check the mechanical operation of the flaps and verify most recent software version, if OK
  • Order the latest and most recent version of the actuator, replace the old and (this was stressed)
  • Update and refresh the software.

They say this will make the fix and I will update once all this happens.

However, there are still a few questions.

The fault remains in car memory until cleared and is displayed in car yet not displayed in the UVO app nor Kia portal?
The KIA App is only compatible with a few select (not defined) Android Smartphones? None of mine work.
The car's Make a Service Appointment (for example this issue) fails to actually contact the selected dealer?
SOP for faults like this is to be resolved by the Dealer prior to sale IF the dealer is notified?
Why was the Dealer not notified and still not notified nor customer contacted?
SOP for Dealer technicians is to resolve factory warranty issues gratis? This is stupid but that's the way it is?
With flaps not functional and open in the failed mode fuel mileage is significantly impacted. Shades of Dieselgate.
Does this vehicle have over the air updates?

I have attempted to contact Kia and expect answers.
 
#60 ·
I too visited the dealer today. During the visit the technician corresponded with Kia technicians in Cali. The issue is well know as is the course of action.

  • Check the mechanical operation of the flaps and verify most recent software version, if OK
  • Order the latest and most recent version of the actuator, replace the old and (this was stressed)
  • Update and refresh the software.

They say this will make the fix and I will update once all this happens.

However, there are still a few questions.

The fault remains in car memory until cleared and is displayed in car yet not displayed in the UVO app nor Kia portal?
The KIA App is only compatible with a few select (not defined) Android Smartphones? None of mine work.
The car's Make a Service Appointment (for example this issue) fails to actually contact the selected dealer?
SOP for faults like this is to be resolved by the Dealer prior to sale IF the dealer is notified?
Why was the Dealer not notified and still not notified nor customer contacted?
SOP for Dealer technicians is to resolve factory warranty issues gratis? This is stupid but that's the way it is?
With flaps not functional and open in the failed mode fuel mileage is significantly impacted. Shades of Dieselgate.
Does this vehicle have over the air updates?

I have attempted to contact Kia and expect answers.
Your dealer sounds a lot more on top of things than mine. Good to know. My car had the parts replaced but apparently not the software reset after replacement so hopefully they did it right this time. If the message does return though I'm doing a lemon law claim.

As far as fuel economy being impacted I can attest to that. My 2017 Niro LX HEV has a lifetime average of 47.5 mpg over 31k miles. In the same driving conditions this 2020 Niro LXS HEV has an average of 42.7mpg over 2.7k+ miles.

When the part was first changed I had just fueled up the car and I did get my highest mpg before I got the message again at 45.7mpg.

I sincerely hope my car is fixed.

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#59 ·
Does the vehicle have OTA updates? No. That's slowly coming to new vehicles, but to my knowledge Kia isn't there yet. My '18 Subaru had the ability to connect to my home WiFi and "update" something, but no update was ever made available for the year and a half I had the car. And my guess is it was only for the infotainment software. That we can download ourselves for our Niro, but I have to say that the last update broke message notifications from my iPhone to the car. But it was still worth getting the maps updated for free, if nothing else. Not getting my text messages on screen isn't that big a deal, and I can always plug the phone in and use CarPlay instead.
 
#67 ·
One Step Forward - Five Back!

Revisiting and Updating our situation...the Air Flap issue seems to be resolved but we now have three (3) new specific warnings, UVO failure and erratic climate system. There are less than 450 miles on the clock and 200 of those are trips to the dealership. The wife is terrified of her "driveway queen" and still no contact from Kia corporation.

After replacing the air flap actuator and updating the software the Check Air Flap message vanished. Within hours messages and associate failures or Lane Keeping Assist (LKA), Forward Collision Avoidance Assist (FCA), High Beam Assist (HBA) occurred. Accompanying these were failures of UVO assistance and the climate control system (heat always on).

The wife is terrified of her "driveway queen". The only contact from Kia corporation to date is "Your current Kia Motors Finance Account Statement for your 2020 Kia Niro Phev is now available to view at KMFUSA.com"
 
#68 ·
About a month ago, after taking the 2020 Niro Phev into the dealer and getting the fourth or fifth update (this one lasted less than 2 miles before the "check air flap" light came on), I asked the tech to please not use us as a guinea pig anymore, but to wait until they had a fix that they were fairly sure would work. He agreed.
Haven't heard from him since! The error started has resumed beeping and I thought maybe I should get in touch with the dealer again, but after hearing your experience perhaps I should leave well enough alone?
 
#74 ·
I bought the 2020 Niro PHEV on 11/30. The day after I got the car home the warning light went on. I brought the car to the dealership. They replaced the flap.

It’s now a little over two months later and this warning light came on again.

this coupled with a battery drain warning that a software update finally fixed has me very concerned.
 
#76 ·
I have the 2020 and had that issue right after purchase two times I had to take it in they finally determined it was an issue with the air flap and the grill on the newer model and they were working on a fix third time at winning don’t remember what the fix was new flat different kind of flat but no issues since then I was concerned too that I had bought a lemon but Kia is great about getting on things and getting them fixed and they did it with this to
 
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