[mikenassar]

Love the car so far(1week) but I see a couple of improvements I will like to add.
First is lack of keyless entry. We are use to walking up to our cars with the key in my pocket and the door (s) unlock. I see some add on that converts manual lock to keyless, but I have the key fob. Anyone know of a solution?
Second is the rear tailgate will lock/unlock using the remote, but not open it for me. Nor can I open in sitting in the driver’s seat.

thanks for any help or idea’s about these 2 issues.

 

[Techy]

Love the car so far(1week) but I see a couple of improvements I will like to add.
First is lack of keyless entry. We are use to walking up to our cars with the key in my pocket and the door (s) unlock. I see some add on that converts manual lock to keyless, but I have the key fob. Anyone know of a solution?
Second is the rear tailgate will lock/unlock using the remote, but not open it for me. Nor can I open in sitting in the driver’s seat.

thanks for any help or idea’s about these 2 issues.

Those are 2 unfortunate issues that will have to be addressed in future versions of the Niro - if the manufacturer feels it is necessary?
There is not an easy or likely solution for you at this time.

 

[RedGeminiPA]

Isn't proximity key standard for the EV? All you have to do, is walk up, grab the handle, and push the black button on the handle with your thumb. It's not like my base Niro HEV, with a physical key that you have to put in the ignition and turn, and use the buttons on the remote to lock/unlock the doors. Even that is considered "keyless entry." My former Lincoln had sensors in the front door handles, which got flakey with age. Many times, they didn't unlock with the first or second grab, and on several occasions, I had to use the key fob buttons. The mid-90's Corvettes had a proximity keyless remote that would automatically unlock the driver's door once you got within a couple feet of it. It was pretty cool tech back in the day. To say yours has "manual" locks, means you have to physically flip the lock mechanism with your finger to lock or unlock the doors on each door, and use a physical key to unlock it from the outside. Every Niro has, at a minimum, keyless entry (remote control) door locks. If you don't want keyless entry in a new Kia, you have to drop down to the base Rio. I know. We have one.

Power liftgates are nice, but they can flake out, too. On a vehicle so small, I don't mind not having it. The new 2023s aren't offering it, either. You have to step up to the Sportage to get that feature.

 

[natedegreat]

i doubt Kia will issue a recall to replace the chrome on all of their recent Niro’s. There are several discussions on using matte tape to cover the trim, I’ve got the tape and hope to tackle it today.

 

[Tom Shirley Sr]

I have a 2020 HEV. Black button on the drivers door handle unlocks the drivers door. Black button on the passenger side unlocks all doors, provided you've got the key fob in your pocket.

 

[Techy]

I have a 2020 HEV. Black button on the drivers door handle unlocks the drivers door. Black button on the passenger side unlocks all doors, provided you've got the key fob in your pocket.

Black button - drivers door handle on my 2020 HEV opens all doors if pressed twice (quickly)

 

[Tom Shirley Sr]

I'll try that!

 

[atc98092]

The button press on the driver's door can be adjusted in the settings menu to open all doors with a single press.

@mikenassar as you can see from the other comments, some versions of the Niro do have keyless entry, although they don't unlock just by approaching the car. You have to press a button on the door handle to unlock/lock the car. If your car doesn't have it I doubt it could be easily added. You didn't tell us what model and trim of Niro you have. If it has push button start it would have keyless entry.

So far, Kia has not offered a power liftgate for the Niro. I did a quick search, and did find a kit to add it. However, they only list it fitting the 2017-2020 models. However, I don't think the '21 or '22 differ there, but perhaps someone else would know for sure.

Automated Power Liftgate Retrofit Kit for 2017-2020 Kia Niro

Enjoy the convenience of adding power Open and close to your rear liftgate at your leisure with our power liftgate system.

www.ensightauto.com

 

[kia_niro_bob]

As for the rear tailgate, when the car is locked, you should still be able to open the latch if you have the key fob on you.
Doesn't physically open the hatch, but you don't have to take key fob out and press button.

You can unlock the rear hatch by unlocking doors when inside car.

 

[Peter Jay]

I don't find the manual liftgate to be a hassle. It's very nicely counterbalanced. Now, if the driver's side door would auto-open for me, that would be something (kidding).

 

[Tommy_D]

I'm fine pushing the button on the door handle to unlock the doors, but with the EV or the plug-in you either have to use the physical key or walk back to the door to lock the car AFTER you plug-in. That's dumb. The car should auto lock when it senses the key is not within proximity of the car. The car clearly knows if the key is within proximity of the vehicle, but no auto locking feature. Terrible design oversight that I cant believe after 4-5 years of having this be a problem it has not been fixed.

No auto-lift tailgate, no big deal to me. The door is light enough that it pops open on its own once the tailgate is nudged open and its easy enough to reach to pull closed. The problem with auto-tailgates is that they are slow and if something gets in the way of it closing you have already gotten in to the driver seat and began buckling up before the thing beeps and begins opening back up. More hassle than its worth if you ask me.

 

[Techy]

I'm fine pushing the button on the door handle to unlock the doors, but with the EV or the plug-in you either have to use the physical key or walk back to the door to lock the car AFTER you plug-in. That's dumb. The car should auto lock when it senses the key is not within proximity of the car. The car clearly knows if the key is within proximity of the vehicle, but no auto locking feature. Terrible design oversight that I cant believe after 4-5 years of having this be a problem it has not been fixed.

In the case of the PHEV, it should be very easy to lock the door after plugging in as the charge door is currently in the same area as the drivers door button.
I like the idea of auto locking or at least the option to choose that setting and maybe future Niros will have that feature.

 

[Peter Jay]

When my '22 EV is on charge, I can lock the doors with the fob, or via the Android app. But yes, I think you're right. When I start to charge, and walk away with the doors unlocked, the doors do not auto-lock. The app does remind me that the doors are unlocked, though, and I can lock them from there.

 

[mikenassar]

Love the car so far(1week) but I see a couple of improvements I will like to add.
First is lack of keyless entry. We are use to walking up to our cars with the key in my pocket and the door (s) unlock. I see some add on that converts manual lock to keyless, but I have the key fob. Anyone know of a solution?
Second is the rear tailgate will lock/unlock using the remote, but not open it for me. Nor can I open in sitting in the driver’s seat.

thanks for any help or idea’s about these 2 issues.

Love the car so far(1week) but I see a couple of improvements I will like to add.
First is lack of keyless entry. We are use to walking up to our cars with the key in my pocket and the door (s) unlock. I see some add on that converts manual lock to keyless, but I have the key fob. Anyone know of a solution?
Second is the rear tailgate will lock/unlock using the remote, but not open it for me. Nor can I open in sitting in the driver’s seat.

thanks for any help or idea’s about these 2 issues.

Thanks to everyone who responded, we knew nothing about the black button on the door handles. This is part of the problem of buying a Kia from a BMW dealer who nothing about the features of the car. The rear tailgate not opening is "okay", but not having a button in the dash is silly. I suppose that if they gave the ability to open from the drivers seat they would have the mechanics of opening from the remote.

All in all we are happy with the car, thanks again to all who responded.

 

[RedGeminiPA]

Thanks to everyone who responded, we knew nothing about the black button on the door handles. This is part of the problem of buying a Kia from a BMW dealer who nothing about the features of the car. The rear tailgate not opening is "okay", but not having a button in the dash is silly. I suppose that if they gave the ability to open from the drivers seat they would have the mechanics of opening from the remote.

All in all we are happy with the car, thanks again to all who responded.

I'm not sure why you'd need a button on the dash. As long as the doors are unlocked, the touchpad on the hatch will be active (it's electronic, not mechanical). I'd assume the proximity fob on your person would be sufficient for the hatch to release when pressing the touchpad, but I can't say for sure. Mine has the old school keyless entry fob with a flip key. Nothing actually "pops" the hatch, not even the fob. The only thing the fob does is tell the car it's ok to accept input from the touchpad for the hatch to be opened. There isn't even an actual lock for the hatch. That can be easily verified by standing near the hatch, and cycling the door locks with the fob. When doing so, there is no noise whatsoever from the hatch. You'll only hear the 4 door locks cycle.

 

[Techy]

Thanks to everyone who responded, we knew nothing about the black button on the door handles. This is part of the problem of buying a Kia from a BMW dealer who nothing about the features of the car. The rear tailgate not opening is "okay", but not having a button in the dash is silly. I suppose that if they gave the ability to open from the drivers seat they would have the mechanics of opening from the remote.

All in all we are happy with the car, thanks again to all who responded.

I'm not sure why you want the dash button to unlock the rear tailgate.
You can press the button on the fob or as @RedGeminiPA states, someone else can press the button at tailgate because your fob should be close enough to allow.
I can press the button on the tailgate to open, even with the doors locked but the fob has to be on my person.

 

[gwendolynware1951]

Love the car so far(1week) but I see a couple of improvements I will like to add.
First is lack of keyless entry. We are use to walking up to our cars with the key in my pocket and the door (s) unlock. I see some add on that converts manual lock to keyless, but I have the key fob. Anyone know of a solution?
Second is the rear tailgate will lock/unlock using the remote, but not open it for me. Nor can I open in sitting in the driver’s seat.

thanks for any help or idea’s about these 2 issues.

OK, here's some good news/bad news! My 2022 Kia Niro Touring has keyless entry. Check the invoice listing your car's features and see if keyless entry was included. If not, talk to the dealer - maybe it's an added feature you can still purchase. As for having the trunk open up, we can unlock our trunks electronically but our trunks aren't designed to physically open without your hand providing the energy to do so.
GWEN

 

[RedGeminiPA]

OK, here's some good news/bad news! My 2022 Kia Niro Touring has keyless entry. Check the invoice listing your car's features and see if keyless entry was included. If not, talk to the dealer - maybe it's an added feature you can still purchase. As for having the trunk open up, we can unlock our trunks electronically but our trunks aren't designed to physically open without your hand providing the energy to do so.
GWEN

All Niros have keyless entry, but only the LX HEV uses the old-school system that requires pushing the buttons on the remote to lock/unlock, and putting the key in the ignition to start it. The term "keyless entry" means a physical key isn't needed to lock/unlock doors. Our '21 Rio base doesn't have keyless entry. The physical key is needed to unlock the door.

What you're referring to is a "smart key/fob" or "proximity key/fob." All Niros above the base LX HEV use that system. Those systems can not be added by the dealer.

 

[Dovidan]

None of the NA Niros come with power tailgate. There is an aftermarket power tailgate kit but it is pricy & fairly complex to install. It is available for multiple sources This Aliexpress price is the best, all products look identical. Here is a 30 minute video of an install on a Toyota Highlander. • aftermarket power liftgate installed
And here: Electric tailgate updated to Niro EV
If found a place near Seattle that would order & install it for about $1,000 (over a year ago). I need the $1000 more than a power liftgate!