The Kia Niro is again being recalled due to a risk of fire. This recall affects more than 27,000 vehicles from the 2017 and 2018 model years. This recall is somewhat of a continuation of the recall that Kia enacted in 2018 because Kia discovered that the fix wasn't done correctly and faulty parts were left in vehicles.

This means that drivers who already had the recall repair performed will have to again take their car to the dealership for repairs. The issue revolves around the main relay contacts not making good enough connections. This can then generate heat and potentially lead to a fire if left unfixed. The main relay is located under the rear seat in the power relay assembly.

In the original recall in 2018, dealerships were instructed to check these components. If they found no heat damage, then they were supposed to replace just the main relay. If heat damage was found, though, they were instructed to replace a portion of the power relay assembly.

Earlier this year, the automaker started hearing reports from dealers of the same issue popping up again. What it found in about five cases was that on cars that were previously reported to have had the main relay replaced, the faulty component was still installed. Kia had reported previously to the NHTSA that dealers were supposed to take photos of the repairs and send them to corporate.

Recently Kia and its parent company Hyundai have been struggling with recalls related to fires. Over 281,000 Hyundai Palisade and Kia Telluride were recalled in August for a fire risk that stemmed from the tow hitch wiring harness. Then the new Kia Sportage was recalled in September for the risk that a loose alternator battery nut could cause an electrical surge sparking a fire as well.

More disturbingly, Hyundai issued a recall for 2017 and 2018 Ioniq Hybrids earlier this year, where it turned out its dealers reported and billed Hyundai for recall repairs that were never performed.

This is a big deal and something Hyundai and Kia need to get under control as soon as possible. Safety is the most important thing when it comes to passenger vehicles, and finding out recalls aren't being performed on vehicles you and your loved ones drive in is of major concern. Luckily it seems there have only been a few isolated instances of fires actually occurring, but as the old saying goes, if you play with fire, you're bound to get burned.

Kia is planning on contacting affected owners by mail starting Jan 9, 2023. Owners can also reach out to Kia by phone at 800-333-4542.