[kaos42]

Hello all, since having the car for around two months I have twice been stranded where the car will not engage drive or reverse. After calling Kia and them suggesting I need to get the car recovered I had a look online and spotted a thread on Speak EV ( Niro EV - Niro EV 4 not starting | Page 26 | Speak EV - Electric Car Forums ) which shows I am far from the only person having this issue and a similar issue is (or was) present on the EV6.

Since reading the coverage yesterday I have managed to replicate the issue twice on the comfort of my own driveway to see if there is a quicker way to overcome the problem until presumably Kia acknowledge and sort the software.

1. Remotely activate the climate control from the mobile app
2. Wait around five minutes
3. Unlock the car either with the keyfob or door button
4. Foot on break and press start
5. The car seemingly goes through the normal dings however the orange key symbol in the lower left of the display does not go out and you do not get the READY notification on the right of the display.
6. Selecting DRIVE or REVERSE has no effect - only neutral will select or park.
7. If you keep your foot on the break pedal the START button will not switch off the car, you have to release the pedal
8. When you do power down the car, the climate control pre-heating will often resume (not normal behaviour once you have started the car)

I've tried many different combinations of pressing and holding things in the hope but nothing seems to resolve this apart from locking that car and walking away. I have not attempted to reset the climate control panel since I read firstly that someone has tried it already and secondly I appear to live in a paperclip free zone. I set a timer for ten minutes at which point the car has presumably gone into sleep mode and reset. It then works fine, the upshot being that use remote climate activation will sometimes (but not always) cause this issue which I have heard others call Zombie mode.

I'm not sure if this is restricted to just the EV version of the Kia but I would be interested to know if anyone else has this and better still if anyone has a workaround. There was a video of someone in an EV6 pressing the start button for 10 seconds but that does not seem to work in the Niro.

 

[lars]

Hello all, since having the car for around two months I have twice been stranded where the car will not engage drive or reverse. After calling Kia and them suggesting I need to get the car recovered I had a look online and spotted a thread on Speak EV ( Niro EV - Niro EV 4 not starting | Page 26 | Speak EV - Electric Car Forums ) which shows I am far from the only person having this issue and a similar issue is (or was) present on the EV6. Since reading the coverage yesterday I have managed to replicate the issue twice on the comfort of my own driveway to see if there is a quicker way to overcome the problem until presumably Kia acknowledge and sort the software.

1. Remotely activate the climate control from the mobile app
2. Wait around five minutes
3. Unlock the car either with the keyfob or door button
4. Foot on break and press start
5. The car seemingly goes through the normal dings however the orange key symbol in the lower left of the display does not go out and you do not get the READY notification on the right of the display.
6. Selecting DRIVE or REVERSE has no effect - only neutral will select or park.
7. If you keep your foot on the break pedal the START button will not switch off the car, you have to release the pedal
8. When you do power down the car, the climate control pre-heating will often resume (not normal behaviour once you have started the car)

I've tried many different combinations of pressing and holding things in the hope but nothing seems to resolve this apart from locking that car and walking away. I have not attempted to reset the climate control panel since I read firstly that someone has tried it already and secondly I appear to live in a paperclip free zone. I set a timer for ten minutes at which point the car has presumably gone into sleep mode and reset. It then works fine, the upshot being that use remote climate activation will sometimes (but not always) cause this issue which I have heard others call Zombie mode. I'm not sure if this is restricted to just the EV version of the Kia but I would be interested to know if anyone else has this and better still if anyone has a workaround. There was a video of someone in an EV6 pressing the start button for 10 seconds but that does not seem to work in the Niro.

Hey, you are certainly not alone. What I’ve had to do when this has happened to me is to go back inside and get my wife’s key and use that. That always fixes it, but it’s so annoying, hoping that Kia gets ahead of this soon

 

[kaos42]

Hey, you are certainly not alone. What I’ve had to do when this has happened to me is to go back inside and get my wife’s key and use that. That always fixes it, but it’s so annoying, hoping that Kia gets ahead of this soon

Thanks, had this over the weekend again and tried grabbing the spare keys - that doesn't sort it for me sadly. Hopefully Kia will officially acknowledge the issue and release a fix soon. Winter is coming, and it is disappointing to not be able to use the remote climate feature without running the risk of being stranded.

 

[mijnpost65]

Hi guys, I have also a Niro EV 2023 and have the same experience. I pulled the -/- from the 12 V battery and that solved it at at once.

 

[KiaGirl]

I've had the same problem over the weekend with my new 2022 Niro EV 4. I used the app to prewarm the car 5 mins before I got in. Couldn't thenn engage the forward or reverse drive, only neutral. The air con continued with pre-heat. Fortunately it resolved by switiching off, locking and leaving the car for an hour but I am now worried that I'll get stranded somewhere. Dealership weren't interested so I have raised an issue with Kia Customer Care.

 

[Smiffy]

I've have the same issue,
Has anyone tried replicating the issue when it's plugged in ? I once had a warning about the 12v battery state but it disappeared before I could properly read it not seen it since.
I haven't tried it yet as I can't risk it not starting on me just at the moment.

 

[kaos42]

Hi guys, I have also a Niro EV 2023 and have the same experience. I pulled the -/- from the 12 V battery and that solved it at at once.

Thanks for confirming that disconnecting the 12V clears / resets the car. When you reconnected the battery was there any impact in terms of restoring the features back - did the clock need setting, were radio stations etc lost? Did the car take long to start (boot up?). In absence of an acknowledgement of the issue from Kia official let alone a solution I would love there to be an alternative fix that doesn't involve a spanner and messing with the electrics.

I recently applied the Oct 2022 update to the car and thought for a long while that perhaps the issue had been resolved, but it has happened a couple of times. I can confirm that when in Zombie mode that resetting the head unit with a pin does not clear the issue - it only seems to restart the sat nav / infotainment.

Observations I have made:

1. Only presents if using the phone app to directly activate climate
2. Generally if attempting to drive the car within 5 minutes of activation
3. Locking and walking away for 10 mins clears the issue (this could be related to target climate temp or max run time of remote climate operation)
4. If scheduling climate (which requires the car to be plugged into a charger) the issue does not present
5. You can check if the car is in Zombie mode / recovered from it without getting in, just attempt to use the keyfob to move the car forward or backwards
6. If you are close to the car (at home for instance) there is an alternative if the car is not plugged in for charging - just use the remote start like you are going to move the car. This starts the HV system and it will resume the climate controls. Despite the instrument cluster looking like the car is good to drive the doors remain locked. When you unlock the doors and get in (providing the key is with you the car chimes and you can drive straight off. If you unlock and get in without the key the system will deactivate, meaning no one can break in and drive the car in this state without having the keyfob. I believe the system times out after 15 mins and will switch off again if you don't get in.

If anyone (especially in the UK) has managed to get a Kia dealer to acknowledge the problem could they post details - I am hoping for some fault reference number I can get my local dealer to log my issue without having to needlessly book the car in. #MeZombieTo ?

 

[mijnpost65]

Hi, of course is disconnecting the battery not a great solution, but a quick one. It works instantly. I also think it has to do with the App function to activate the climate controle. Hope KIA comes up with a fix!

 

[g.brunekreeft]

Of you start the preheating with the app, you have to end it with the app. Most of the times this is the solution.

 

[mijnpost65]

Of you start the preheating with the app, you have to end it with the app. Most of the times this is the solution.

Yes, you are right. I am doing that at the moment. So far so good.

 

[Sebbekitte]

Hi, I took out a new Kia Niro EV 2 weeks ago and yesterday this happened to me too! I called the car dealer who luckily was nearby and solved the problem by holding the start/stop button for 10 seconds and then locking the car and leaving it for 5 minutes. Then it worked!?. I had also started the heater remotely..

 

[paulfineran]

Hello all, since having the car for around two months I have twice been stranded where the car will not engage drive or reverse. After calling Kia and them suggesting I need to get the car recovered I had a look online and spotted a thread on Speak EV ( Niro EV - Niro EV 4 not starting | Page 26 | Speak EV - Electric Car Forums ) which shows I am far from the only person having this issue and a similar issue is (or was) present on the EV6.

Since reading the coverage yesterday I have managed to replicate the issue twice on the comfort of my own driveway to see if there is a quicker way to overcome the problem until presumably Kia acknowledge and sort the software.

1. Remotely activate the climate control from the mobile app
2. Wait around five minutes
3. Unlock the car either with the keyfob or door button
4. Foot on break and press start
5. The car seemingly goes through the normal dings however the orange key symbol in the lower left of the display does not go out and you do not get the READY notification on the right of the display.
6. Selecting DRIVE or REVERSE has no effect - only neutral will select or park.
7. If you keep your foot on the break pedal the START button will not switch off the car, you have to release the pedal
8. When you do power down the car, the climate control pre-heating will often resume (not normal behaviour once you have started the car)

I've tried many different combinations of pressing and holding things in the hope but nothing seems to resolve this apart from locking that car and walking away. I have not attempted to reset the climate control panel since I read firstly that someone has tried it already and secondly I appear to live in a paperclip free zone. I set a timer for ten minutes at which point the car has presumably gone into sleep mode and reset. It then works fine, the upshot being that use remote climate activation will sometimes (but not always) cause this issue which I have heard others call Zombie mode.

I'm not sure if this is restricted to just the EV version of the Kia but I would be interested to know if anyone else has this and better still if anyone has a workaround. There was a video of someone in an EV6 pressing the start button for 10 seconds but that does not seem to work in the Niro.

Interesting and worrying to read this thread. Went down to my local supermarket this evening, did NOT use app to pre heat or do anything with the car, but when I returned to my car it did exactly as described, I could not get it to operate and ended up calling kia assist (RAC) who sent someone out. In the time it took me to walk home, grab a coat and walk back to the car to meet the RAC man, the car then behaved exactly as it should! Most irritating! Car is EV4 with heat pump, 379 miles since new, not even been washed yet!!!
Would be very pleased to hear if this has been looked at by Kia and if there is a fix on the way - leaves a rather sour taste in your mouth when your car ends up as a £40K+ paperweight!

 

[TheAirman]

Been following this thread and trying to recreate the problem with mine.

Could someone from the UK please explain to me the differences between an EV2, EV3 and EV4 are? We in US don't have those model designations.

 

[KiwiME]

Yep, same here in NZ. We have an Niro EV Light and Water models only.

 

[Stephinson]

Thanks for confirming that disconnecting the 12V clears / resets the car. When you reconnected the battery was there any impact in terms of restoring the features back - did the clock need setting, were radio stations etc lost? Did the car take long to start (boot up?). In absence of an acknowledgement of the issue from Kia official let alone a solution I would love there to be an alternative fix that doesn't involve a spanner and messing with the electrics.

I recently applied the Oct 2022 update to the car and thought for a long while that perhaps the issue had been resolved, but it has happened a couple of times. I can confirm that when in Zombie mode that resetting the head unit with a pin does not clear the issue - it only seems to restart the sat nav / infotainment.

Observations I have made:

1. Only presents if using the phone app to directly activate climate
2. Generally if attempting to drive the car within 5 minutes of activation
3. Locking and walking away for 10 mins clears the issue (this could be related to target climate temp or max run time of remote climate operation)
4. If scheduling climate (which requires the car to be plugged into a charger) the issue does not present
5. You can check if the car is in Zombie mode / recovered from it without getting in, just attempt to use the keyfob to move the car forward or backwards
6. If you are close to the car (at home for instance) there is an alternative if the car is not plugged in for charging - just use the remote start like you are going to move the car. This starts the HV system and it will resume the climate controls. Despite the instrument cluster looking like the car is good to drive the doors remain locked. When you unlock the doors and get in (providing the key is with you the car chimes and you can drive straight off. If you unlock and get in without the key the system will deactivate, meaning no one can break in and drive the car in this state without having the keyfob. I believe the system times out after 15 mins and will switch off again if you don't get in.

If anyone (especially in the UK) has managed to get a Kia dealer to acknowledge the problem could they post details - I am hoping for some fault reference number I can get my local dealer to log my issue without having to needlessly book the car in. #MeZombieTo ?

Didn’t loose any profiles and started up no problem. I’ll be keeping a 10mill spanner in the car now.

 

[Stephinson]

Been following this thread and trying to recreate the problem with mine.

Could someone from the UK please explain to me the differences between an EV2, EV3 and EV4 are? We in US don't have those model designations.

This gives some info

Kia Niro SUV - Interior & comfort | Carbuyer

Design flair isn’t that common in crossovers, but it’s available here

www.carbuyer.co.uk

 

[kaos42]

Been following this thread and trying to recreate the problem with mine.

Could someone from the UK please explain to me the differences between an EV2, EV3 and EV4 are? We in US don't have those model designations.

The Uk version of the KIA site will let you compare what each edition has but I think (could be wrong) that the Niro 3 and 4 are the only ones that have the fancy key fob that allow the car to remotely move forward and backwards - more importantly it effectively offers remote 'start' which powers up the HV system and will resume the HVAC settings. The doors remain locked, although the dash does light up and show READY which is a shame since someone might think it is worth breaking into the car to steal. I've tried unlocking the door and getting in when in this mode and the car shuts down and does not allow drive or reverse to be engaged if the key is not detected.

On the 4 it comes with sunroof and (if you ordered in time before they dropped it) harman kardon sound system, chrome pedals etc. The most notable difference in the UK is that the heat-pump is a £900 GBP option that I suspect many (like me) will not deem worthwhile to buy given the limited extended range which equates to about 20 or 30 miles.

I do think some of the tech of the heat pump is built in anyway since I have noticed that when only mild heat is needed the car seems to switch off the HEAT (PTC) function and instead switch on A/C - the power consumption falls dramatically and the vents continue to blow warm air.

 

[TheAirman]

Thanks for the great info. We only get the Wind (1-2) or Wave (3-4).

The Wave (4) still comes with the HK system.

I wonder why they dropped the HK in the UK ??

 

[Anne5]

I received my Niro EV4 on 28th September. It’s refused to start 6 times. The first time was when I was on a car park and I’d never used the climate control. Only on two occasions can I relate the problem to climate control. It went to the dealer on 16th December, who diagnosed weak key batteries. It went back yesterday. I needn’t have bothered. I was told that it was a known software issue relating to scheduled climate control with no fix. I pointed out that I never use the scheduled control as I never leave home at the same time twice. This caused some puzzlement. However, I was simply told there was no solution and they’d let me know when they had a fix. I’m not impressed!

Interesting and worrying to read this thread. Went down to my local supermarket this evening, did NOT use app to pre heat or do anything with the car, but when I returned to my car it did exactly as described, I could not get it to operate and ended up calling kia assist (RAC) who sent someone out. In the time it took me to walk home, grab a coat and walk back to the car to meet the RAC man, the car then behaved exactly as it should! Most irritating! Car is EV4 with heat pump, 379 miles since new, not even been washed yet!!!
Would be very pleased to hear if this has been looked at by Kia and if there is a fix on the way - leaves a rather sour taste in your mouth when your car ends up as a £40K+ paperweight!

 

[leeroy7031]

Been following this thread and trying to recreate the problem with mine.

Could someone from the UK please explain to me the differences between an EV2, EV3 and EV4 are? We in US don't have those model designations.

These are the different levels of trim EV4 is the top of the range, cars are basically the same other than features and some safety functions.

Of you start the preheating with the app, you have to end it with the app. Most of the times this is the solution.

We've had the same issue with zombie mode, I did preheat the car from the app and have since stopped doing that or stopping the function before entering the vehicle.

My e Niro is currently in the dealership with a dead 12v battery, this also seems to be a common issue which we have been informed, also Kia have no spare batteries in the UK, how good is that !