[kprenesti]

On Cobb County Kia, I read the following review and I wonder if anyone has any more information to clarify or deny the claims in this review? Is it true that there's a minimum drive time required just to make the car work?? What if I go on vacation and my car is sitting in my garage for a week or two? Would it be dead when I return? What then? If this is true, my heart breaks, because the deal breaks.

Flawed operational system in Niro

written on 03/15/2017
Janet F
On 2/27/17 I bought a KIA Niro Touring. On 3/6/17 it wouldn't start and needed to be towed. Kia service told me the car was normal but I needed to drive it more to keep the battery charged. This does not seem to be a problem with my particular vehicle, rather a design choice KIA made. I use the car daily for my work commute, errands, etc. though apparently this usage is not adequate to have a reliable operating vehicle. Kia does not inform the public the vehicle will not operate unless it has a minimum daily usage time. I bought the car assuming I could use it like any car. As much as I like the idea of an eco-friendly vehicle, I take exception to the concept that it must be driven extra time than my needs dictate to keep the battery charged. The service provider suggested I keep the engine running for 20-40 minutes but can just leave the car locked because of the smart key. This does not sound smart to me. I spoke directly with Kia Motors regarding my situation and they stand by their vehicle saying it is normal and the only problem is I am not driving it enough to keep the battery charged. They advised me to drive more. I would not like others to find themselves in my unfortunate situation. Please be mindful before making a purchase.

 

[kprenesti]

HA! Nevermind! Same person posts here, apparently! (Can't post a link to the thread, but trust me, this is a duplicate.)

 

[Steve34491]

Minimum drive time

I sure hope all this talk about minimum driving needed to keep the battery charged isn't true for the Niro. I just traded in a 4 year old C-Max on the Niro. The C-Max spent numerous 20-26 day "vacations" at an airport parking lot. After returning, the car started with no problem.

 

[KiaKrazy]

That's what I don't get. It really doesn't make sense. I have a 2002 honda civic sitting on my driveway literally doing nothing. I can't remember the last time I drove that thing. But leave it for 2 weeks, get in there, and it'll start right up with no issues. Leave it on for like 15 minutes and put her back down.

A new car should not have these issues.

 

[woodie]

After sitting untouched for two weeks, mine showed no discernible decrease in battery charge.

 

[lccobb]

There is a battery drain cut off that will prevent the battery from being drained to a point that it will not start. If that happens there is a battery reset switch which activates the battery so that the car can be started and bring the battery back to an acceptable point of charge.

 

[jmcging]

I will point to page H14 of the 2017 Niro Owners Manual that states " If you park the vehicle for a long time, the hybrid system will discharge. You need to drive the vehicle several times per month to maintain a charge.

 

[jerp777]

I just saw this post on a UK Niro forum - " As soon as you turn the ignition on, the LiJon-battery charges the 12V-battery if it needs it. This happens even if the car is stationary and the petrol engine is off.

The American version of Niro has a button to boost the 12V-battery if it´s too week to run the starting procedures and that charge comes from the LiJon-battery - without the petrol engine running. "

 

[Neuron]

But it shouldn't completely discharge if you let it sit for a week or two. If worse comes to worse, give your keys to a trusted family member and ask them to drive it now and then.

 

[woodie]

After sitting untouched for two weeks, mine showed no discernible decrease in battery charge.

After sitting untouched for another period (this time five weeks), no discernible decrease in charge.

 

[basicbill]

After sitting untouched for another period (this time five weeks), no discernible decrease in charge.

That is good to know! I don't think I'll worry about a 2 week airport park.

 

[DalTXJim]

I don't mean to be a smart-a**, however, if Kia expects Niro owners to drive their cars more often than a "regular" car, to keep the battery charged, they sure are going to have a lot of DEALERS upset with them! I can hear it now... "Attention all sales associates. It's Monday, so it's time to drive all of the Niro's on the lot to keep the battery charged"...

 

[PAULRIDES]

On average, in the 2 1/2 months we ahve owned our EX Model, our car has not sat for more than a day or two.

So not a long time to drain, but I have not had a problems with the battery being drained.

I am thinking this topic is either a scam (not being smart), maybe someone had an abnormal drain problem (something left on or a short or whatever).

 

[Warbstow]

I left my Toyota Auris Hybrid at Heathrow for three months whilst my wife and I toured New Zealand. We got in it and it started as soon as I pressed the start button. As we intend to do this again is this going to prove to be an issue.

 

[fredct]

No because it wasnt real. If you find the other thread, although the OP never reported final results, it was pretty clear that they had a lemon and were getting a run around from someone at the dealer or some lackey in customer service who didnt know what they were talking about.

 

[Lootas1]

Isn't there a way to attach a trickle charger if you are going to leave the car in the garage for a few weeks? When I had power boats, I would leave a trickle charger going on the battery all winter and the battery stayed charged up and ready to crank a big V-8.

 

[mmathras]

The biggest challenge we have given our Niro so far was a 28-day "rest" at the airport parking lot. I worried during the entire trip that we would return to a dead battery....but she fired right up as though she had been driven daily.

 

[NiroDude]

If your battery "dies", just push the 12 v battery reset button on the left side of the driver on the dash. It will charge the battery and you are back to normal instantly.

 

[Congee]

I've not gone more than a week without driving. That said, while on vacation over the holidays, my Niro EX-Prem sat on the street, snow and ice covered in -20C weather for a week. When I got back, she fired up immediately and there was no noticeable drain of the battery gauge. Was very happy.

 

[eddarrah]

If your battery "dies", just push the 12 v battery reset button on the left side of the driver on the dash. It will charge the battery and you are back to normal instantly.

The 12v battery disconnects if it falls below Xvolts (I forget what that number is), the reset button doesn't charge anything, it re-connects the 12v lithium ion ferrite core battery to enable you to start the car. I've had ours stall at first start after sitting outdoors overnight in -10 below zero weather, BUT, when it stalls, at first you hear the engine shake, stutter, as is normal in such temps, the second it stalls out the Niro switches to EV mode, and in about 1 more second the car starts itself again as if you pushed the start button a second time....................this has happened twice in sub zero temps, and each time, on the 2nd firing, the car started right up. The overall design seems great..........no problems really...................I just pitty the fools that try to jump start another car with their Niro, you are NOT supposed to do that! Kia left out a warning in the owners manual stating that the Niro is NOT designed to jump start other cars and doing so can damage the vehicle, the 12v battery, and the hybrid battery,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, you can however receive a jump start from another car/jumper battery if necessary. Kia is supposedly updating the owners manual and may release addendum's to existing customers/manuals regarding more specific battery jump do's and don'ts.