Kia’s versatile crossover is facing a significant recall. Over 80,000 Kia Niro EV, plug-in hybrid (PHEV), and hybrid models are being recalled over seat belts and airbags that could potentially malfunction. Here’s what you need to know and how you can get the fix.
Kia issues new recall for Niro EV, PHEV, and hybrids
Kia America sent a letter to the National Highway Traffic Administration (NHTSA) over the weekend, notifying the agency of plans to recall 80,255 Niro EV, plug-in hybrid (PHEV), and hybrid vehicles.
According to the safety notice, the floor wiring assembly under the front passenger seat can get damaged, preventing the front airbags and seat belts from deploying or functionality as intended. The side airbag could also deploy unintentionally.
The recall impacts specific 2023 to 2024 model-year Niro vehicles across all powertrains, including 21,909 EVs, 49,535 hybrids, and 8,811 plug-in hybrids (PHEV models).
Kia Niro vehicles built between June 21, 2022, and December 17, 2024, could be impacted. New models built in 2025 are not included. Following an investigation, Kia found that repeatedly moving the manual front passenger seat could damage the wires underneath.
2025 Kia Niro EV, plug-in hybrid (PHEV), and hybrid models (Source: Kia)
Due to a different layout, Niro vehicles with a power front passenger seat are not included. No crashes, injuries, or other fatalities were reported.
Niro drivers impacted by the recall can bring their vehicles to their local Kia dealer. The dealer will inspect and replace the floor wiring free of charge and install new wiring covers for added safety.
2025 Kia Niro EV (Source: Kia)
Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed out on March 14, 2025. If you have questions, you can contact Kia’s customer service at 1-800-33-4542. Kia’s recall number is SC332.
You can also call the NHTSA hotline at 1-888-327-4236 or visit their website at NHTSA.gov for more information. The NHTSA campaign number is 25V-024.
EPA-estimated Range
Starting Price
2025 Kia Niro EV Wind
253 miles
$39,600
2025 Kia Niro EV Wave
253 miles
$44,600
2025 Kia Niro EV prices and range by trim
Starting at under $40,000, the 2025 Kia Niro EV is still one of the most affordable electric vehicles in the US. It’s available in Wind and Wave trims with a driving range of up to 253 miles.
Tesla’s board, which has already compensated CEO Elon Musk more than the company earned through its entire existence, is now offering a new pay package worth up to $1 trillion.
Today, Tesla filed its proxy statement ahead of its shareholders’ meeting in November, and there’s a lot in there, but the headline-stealing item is a new compensation plan being proposed for the company’s controversial CEO, Elon Musk.
Musk saw his previous compensation plan, worth $55 billion, the biggest ever for a CEO, rescinded by a judge who found Musk to have negotiated, or more accurately, not negotiated, against a board under his control.
To compensate him, the board gave Musk a pay package worth $26 billion last month and said that a bigger, longer-term package would also be submitted for shareholders’ approval soon.
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Now, Tesla has submitted the new compensation package for shareholders’ approval, and in short, it would give Musk, who is already Tesla’s largest shareholder, about $1 trillion more in stock options.
To receive the grant, Tesla would need to increase its market cap to roughly $8.5 trillion and achieve some milestones, such as putting 1 million Robotaxis into operation and delivering over 1 million robots.
Tesla board members Robyn Denholm and Kathleen Wilson-Thompson wrote in a letter to shareholders:
We’re asking you to approve the 2025 CEO Performance Award. In designing the new performance award, we explored numerous alternatives. Ultimately, the new award aims to build upon the success of the 2018 CEO Performance Award framework, which ensured that Elon was only paid for performance delivered and incentivized to guide Tesla through a period of meteoric growth. The 2025 CEO Performance Award similarly challenges Elon to again meet a series of even more aspirational goals, including operational milestones focused on reaching Adjusted EBITDA targets (thresholds that are up to 28 times higher than the 2018 CEO Performance Award’s top Adjusted EBITDA milestone) and rolling out new or expanded product offerings (including 1 million Robotaxis in commercial operation and delivery of 1 million AI Bots), all while growing the company’s market capitalization by trillions of dollars.
Tesla’s shareholders meeting is going to be held on November 6, 2025.
Electrek’s Take
Musk is already the person who benefits the most from Tesla’s stock by a long shot. He would be benefiting even more if he hadn’t sold tens of billions worth of stock to buy an overpriced Twitter, but that was his own decision.
Now, he managed to convince the board, which is obviously still fully under his control, to give him a new pay package worth up to $1 trillion, as Tesla’s sales have been going down two years in a row and earnings are in a steady decline for coming up on 3 years in a row now.
The craziest thing is that Tesla shareholders are going to happily give him the money and hope that he can pump Tesla’s stock enough to get paid.
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In the Electrek Podcast, we discuss the most popular news in the world of sustainable transport and energy. In this week’s episode, we discuss Tesla Master Plan Part 4, a new affordable EV from VW, wireless EV charging, and more.
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We are finally getting our first look at the future of BMW. The iX3 is “a massive leap” from BMW’s current vehicles with nearly 500 miles of range, ultra-fast charging, and the brand’s advanced new tech. And that’s just the start. The BMW iX3 kicks off a new era for the German luxury brand.
BMW unveils the iX3 with 500 miles range, fast charging
BMW promised the iX3 would be “the benchmark of the industry,” and it wasn’t kidding. The stylish new electric SUV made its world debut at the Munich Motor Show on Friday as the first of BMW’s Neue Klasse models.
After unveiling the new electric SUV for the first time, CEO Oliver Zipse called it a “one-in-a-lifetime moment” and the start of a new era for BMW.
The iX3 is the first of an entirely new generation of BMW vehicles, created from the ground up. BMW “skipped an entire generation” when it comes to design, Zipse said, adding it’s still “more BMW than ever.”
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To maximize range, BMW gave it a clean, aerodynamic design with very few lines. One of the first things you’ll notice is the re-imaged front end. The new face is centered around an updated vertically oriented kidney grille, which is designed to match the more upright vehicle design.
The new BMW iX3 50 xDrive (Source: BMW)
As the first vehicle powered by its new Gen6 platform, the iX3 is “a massive leap” from current BMW models in terms of range, charging, efficiency, and more. It’s also BMW’s first EV with bidirectional charging.
The BMW iX3 offers an impressive WLTP range of up to nearly 500 miles (800 km). On the EPA scale, it’s expected to deliver around 400 miles of range.
The new BMW iX3 50 xDrive (Source: BMW)
Based on an 800V architecture, the BMW iX3 can deliver charging speeds of up to 400 kW. According to BMW, that means it can add over 230 miles (370 km) in just 10 minutes.
Updated interior powered by super-brains
The interior is just as impressive with an updated minimalist design. A massive 17.9″ infotainment, powered by its new Operating System X, sits at the center.
It’s also the first BMW model to debut with its new Panoramic iDrive system. The new system “offers a whole new driving experience” and will be used in all upcoming BMW vehicles.
The interior of the new BMW iX3 50 xDrive (Source: BMW)
BMW’s new infotainment is powered by “genuine super-brains,” or four advanced computers that can process data about 20 times faster than the systems found in current vehicles.
Measuring 4,782 mm in length, 1,895 mm in width, and 1,635 mm in height, the BMW iX3 is about the same size as the Porsche Macan Electric (see our review).
The interior of the new BMW iX3 50 xDrive (Source: BMW)
BMW will begin iX3 production later this year at its new plant in Debrecen. Deliveries are scheduled to start in Europe in early 2026, followed by the US in the summer. BMW will build a special variant for China, which will be produced at its Shenyang plant.
It will initially launch as the BMW iX3 50 xDrive. In Germany, it’s already listed on BMW’s website with prices starting at €68,900 ($81,000).
The new BMW iX3 50 xDrive (Source: BMW)
In the US, the new BMW iX3 will be available in summer of 2026, starting at around $60,000 with an estimated range of around 400 miles. In early 2027, BMW will launch the iX3 40 sDrive and iX3 40 xDrive. BMW said prices will start at under $55,000 with slightly over 300 miles range.
Starting next year, BMW said every vehicle will be all-new. The new iX3 will be the first of 40 new or updated BMW vehicles by 2027.
What do you think of the all-new BMW design? Are you a fan? Drop us a comment and let us know your thoughts.
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