2025 KIA EV9

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:PROPULSION SYSTEM

Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2025 EV9 vehicles. The rear gear drive unit (GDU) motor shaft may have been improperly welded and become damaged, causing a loss of drive power.

Risk: A loss of drive power increases the risk of a crash.

SEATS:CRITICAL FASTENERS

Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2024-2025 EV9 vehicles. The second- and third-row seat mounting bolts may be missing.

Risk: Seats without mounting bolts may not properly restrain an occupant, increasing the risk of injury.

WHEELS

Vehicle Information: 2025 Kia EV9 GT-Line AWD VIN: [XXX] Mileage: ~16,000 miles Component/Part Affected: Wheel studs / Wheel attachment system Summary: Multiple wheel studs (3 on one wheel, 2 on another) were found stripped/damaged on my [XXX] Kia EV9, making the vehicle unsafe to drive. This is a critical safety issue, as wheels cannot be properly secured and could detach while driving. Details: •The vehicle has been serviced exclusively at Kia dealerships (Winn Kia Fremont and Putnam Kia Burlingame, CA). •Putnam Kia Burlingame visits (7/31/25 and 8/29/25) involved seat motor repairs, multi-point inspections, and tire-pressure checks only. No wheel removal or rotation occurred there as per their confirmation. •Kia Fremont has performed all wheel/tire-related services and recently discovered the damage. •Photos show damage across two wheels (3 studs stripped on one, 2 on another). This suggests a consistent pattern of improper service (over-torquing or cross-threading), not isolated wear. Safety Concern: The vehicle is currently undriveable. Multiple compromised studs across two wheels increase the likelihood of wheel detachment while driving — posing a severe hazard to me, my family, and other motorists. Manufacturer Response So Far: •Kia Fremont has ordered replacement studs but says parts will take ~7 days. •I am seeking Kia’s confirmation that all repairs and a rental vehicle will be covered under warranty. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

STEERING

Within six months of purchase, the power steering on my 2025 Kia EV9 failed while I was driving, creating a sudden and dangerous loss of steering control. I brought the vehicle to the Kia dealership for repair, but it was returned to me without the problem being resolved. On the very first drive after service, the power steering failed again. This is a recurring safety defect that poses a serious risk to me, my family, and other drivers. The vehicle is unsafe to operate until the root cause is identified and repaired properly.

VISIBILITY/WIPER

We just left the dealership in our new 2026 Kia EV 9 with 14 miles on it and as we were driving home the passenger windshield wiper started to make a loud banging sound when it would return to it ‘a starting position. We turned the wipers off and then turned them back on just to have the passenger one go half way a few times and then stopped working altogether. We live in Vero Beach Florida and this took place at [XXX]. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

SERVICE BRAKES

The Kia EV9 Wind I bought several days ago worked fine for a couple of days with a slight vibration, but yesterday I experienced 3 incidents. 1. As I was coming to a full stop at a stop sign, there was a mild grinding noise from the rear of the vehicle. 2. I continued for 100 yards and came to a stop light and the car made a louder grinding sound of gears grinding as I was coming to a full braking stop. 3. I continued for about 1/2 mile. As I was coming to a stop at a stop light, there was a very loud grinding sound from the back of the car, like gears were being stripped, and the vehicle came to a full stop. At that point I was in the middle lane of a busy 3 lane road. I jumped out to inspect and saw nothing. I continued through the intersection and immediately pulled into a parking lot. I got out to inspect and there was a very strong burning smell coming from the driver side rear wheel well. I did not smell it on the passenger side rear wheel well. I had it towed to the nearby Kia dealership, and left it. This morning the dealership reported the initial diagnosis showed that the emergency brakes were activated while I was driving and they would report back later today on further diagnosis. They said the brake pads and rotors may need to be replaced and they would need to determine why the emergency brakes activated while I was driving. When I told them I was equally concerned about the grinding sound and the possibility of stripped gears, they replied that Kia Corporate does not pay them to explore potential problems that are not visible or obvious. My main concern is that there may be stripped gears to be replaced in addition to a software or other fix to prevent the emergency brakes from activating while driving. They also reported to me that there were 2 notifications with updates that had not been performed. One was for a software update for the rear powertrain and the other was for a sunroof issue and they would perform both.

POWER TRAIN

The Kia EV9 Wind I bought several days ago worked fine for a couple of days with a slight vibration, but yesterday I experienced 3 incidents. 1. As I was coming to a full stop at a stop sign, there was a mild grinding noise from the rear of the vehicle. 2. I continued for 100 yards and came to a stop light and the car made a louder grinding sound of gears grinding as I was coming to a full braking stop. 3. I continued for about 1/2 mile. As I was coming to a stop at a stop light, there was a very loud grinding sound from the back of the car, like gears were being stripped, and the vehicle came to a full stop. At that point I was in the middle lane of a busy 3 lane road. I jumped out to inspect and saw nothing. I continued through the intersection and immediately pulled into a parking lot. I got out to inspect and there was a very strong burning smell coming from the driver side rear wheel well. I did not smell it on the passenger side rear wheel well. I had it towed to the nearby Kia dealership, and left it. This morning the dealership reported the initial diagnosis showed that the emergency brakes were activated while I was driving and they would report back later today on further diagnosis. They said the brake pads and rotors may need to be replaced and they would need to determine why the emergency brakes activated while I was driving. When I told them I was equally concerned about the grinding sound and the possibility of stripped gears, they replied that Kia Corporate does not pay them to explore potential problems that are not visible or obvious. My main concern is that there may be stripped gears to be replaced in addition to a software or other fix to prevent the emergency brakes from activating while driving. They also reported to me that there were 2 notifications with updates that had not been performed. One was for a software update for the rear powertrain and the other was for a sunroof issue and they would perform both.

WHEELS

Took my 4-month old Kia EV9 to a tire shop b/c I heard a rattling on the right side at low speed. Turns out both of the locking lug nuts had popped out of the front and rear hubs on the right side. Seems like someone at the port install facility in West Point Georgia didn't use the correct tools or torque settings. Turns out this is a known issue among a few customers per this Reddit thread: [XXX] I notified Kia CS. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

SEATS

Vehicle was delivered with an active safety recall on it. The safety recall is second and third row seat mounting bolts may be missing. Recall was announced December 2024 and car was purchased/delivered on March 20th 2025

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING

My display with my backup camera started flickering. It then turned black and I couldn't see anything anymore and it was very dangerous to back up.

BACK OVER PREVENTION: WARNINGS

My display with my backup camera started flickering. It then turned black and I couldn't see anything anymore and it was very dangerous to back up.

BACK OVER PREVENTION: REARVIEW SYSTEM BRAKING

My display with my backup camera started flickering. It then turned black and I couldn't see anything anymore and it was very dangerous to back up.

WHEELS

Vibration at highway speeds above 65mph. Online forums make it seem like a common defect.

STEERING

Vibration at highway speeds above 65mph. Online forums make it seem like a common defect.

SEATS

The drivers seat rocks and shakes or wobbles while you drive. They need to change the frame to fix the issue.

WHEELS

While driving on the freeway I suddenly lost control of the vehicle, with the vehicle swerving left and back across several lanes. Thankfully, I avoided a catastrophic accident and managed to pull over safely. There were no warning lamps or messages of any kind prior to the failure. Upon inspection of the driver’s side rear wheel, I discovered that multiple lug nuts had snapped off, with the studs still attached to the lug nuts. The remaining lug nuts were extremely loose. I have never heard of such a dangerous defect in a brand-new vehicle, and it appears as if the wheel may not have been tightened properly before I took possession or they loosened since then (possibly due to having had just driven through freezing temperatures). I had only had the brand new car for 5 weeks and added 400 miles to the odometer (total mileage 544). Inspection report was provided by the nearest Kia dealership “Found 2 lugs snapped off taking the stud with it, and the rest of the lugs were loose. Damaged rotor screws, lug studs, and the wheel. Recommend replacing the hub assembly, lug nuts, wheel, and recheck vehicle operation.” Kiais claiming this is not covered by Warranty and is so far refusing to make repairs.

VISIBILITY/WIPER

We had a snow the last couple of days and when it mostly cleared up we went out to the grocery store. We had done on best to clear of the car of snow. While driving the windshield wipers were working fine until a small chuck of snow came down from the roof of the car. The wipers immediate started to glitch and not move which caused a big visibility problem. I was able to pull over and clear it but was concerned that small amounts of snow would cause the wipers to completely stop.

SERVICE BRAKES

There is an "i-pedal" feature that sets regen braking to bring the vehicle to a complete stop when letting off the accelerator pedal. In this mode, the vehicle only moves when pressing down on the pedal, and it stops when the pedal is released. When shifting the vehicle into reverse, "i-pedal" is automatically and silently turned off, causing the vehicle to suddenly start moving when releasing the brake pedal and no longer stop when releasing the accelerator pedal. This is dangerous because the pedals suddenly and unexpectedly behave differently with no input from the driver. If "i-pedal" is enabled by the driver, it should not switch out of "i-pedal" without the driver choosing to do so.