2026 Kia EV9 problems

Filed Oct 30, 2026 · Body · VA

About a couple of weeks before October 23, 2026, the front passenger door mechanism on my 2026 Kia EV9 suffered a complete failure due to a manufacturer-identified water intrusion issue, causing the exterior retractable door handle to stop deploying. As a result, the door cannot be opened from the outside. No warning lights or dashboard messages appeared prior to the failure. I brought the vehicle to Koons Woodbridge Kia on 10/23/2026, where service technicians inspected the car and confirmed that the door motor failed due to water entry. The dealership verified the defect but informed me that the necessary replacement part is on a national backorder with no clear ETA. I also opened a formal case with Kia America Consumer Affairs (Case #26521387). The vehicle and the defective door component remain at the dealership and are available for inspection upon request. This failure presents a severe safety hazard. Because the front passenger door cannot be opened from the exterior, first responders or bystanders would be completely unable to open the door from the outside to extract a trapped passenger in the event of a crash, rollover, fire, or medical emergency. Despite this clear danger, service staff verbally claimed the issue is "not a safety concern" and pressured me to pick up the un-repaired, unsafe vehicle. When I requested a loaner, they initially offered a small car for only a couple of days—which is completely inadequate and non-equivalent for my transportation and cargo needs while my vehicle remains indefinitely out of service due to a national backorder. Furthermore, despite repeated written and verbal requests, the dealership and Kia Corporate have refused to provide me with a printed copy of my active Repair Order or put their claims regarding vehicle safety and backorder status in writing.

Filed Oct 8, 2026 · Transmission · CA

Brand new car completely died after one month. The check EV system light came on while driving, could smell burning plastic smell. Vehicle went into limp mode on road and had to be towed to service center. At the service center all power in the vehicle went off and the car could not be driven. Service center diagnosed and reproduced the issue. Active DTC on the the ICCU (integrated charge control unit) unit powering the 12V battery was dead. The entire ICCU assembly had to be replaced

Filed Sep 27, 2026 · Visibility · WA

The digital rearview mirror system intermittently fails while in use. The image in the rearview mirror will start flickering and eventually go completely black while driving. The system has been inspected and serviced multiple times by the dealership under warranty but the problem keeps recurring.

Filed Sep 25, 2026 · Suspension · WA

Parts near the rear left suspension area fell off and landed on the inside rear left wheel while driving in I-405. Wheels have never been removed for by reason before this incident after purchasing the car. Car only has 7724 miles on the odometer.

Filed Sep 12, 2026 · ID · 1 injury

So I called KIA about this, but I wanted my report to appear here too. Back in February, my right foot was run over by my car. It was an accident. I had gotten out of the driver's passenger side to check on something that was making noises. The person who ran my foot over didn't realize I was out of the car, and there was no warning; there was no noise indicating my door was open. Then the back driver-side tire ran over my foot. My foot was broken in a few places, and I was in a shoe boot for quite a while. It is very dangerous to think there was no alert; I can't imagine if this happened to a child. I was pretty thorough in telling them what happened, and nobody ever tried to compensate me or do anything about my situation. It is a major hazard to have your foot run over because the car is super heavy because of the battery. I'm lucky my foot healed, and I didn't need any further treatment.

Filed Sep 10, 2026 · Body, Electrical · OR

I was sold a vehicle with a manufacturer defect. At purchase there was a loud wind noise coming from sunroof. I was promised a swift service department visit to realign the sunroof. At service visit ten days later the dealership replaced sunroof and threw electrical error codes B271100. After a specialist over rode the error the dealership claimed fixed and had me pick up the vehicle. The loud wind noise was still present. When I attempted to return the vehicle the dealership said I would no longer be serviced by their dealership. Kia Customer Care sent me to a second dealership. Second dealership brought in techline specialist that ordered Kia Warranty repair would replace the entire roof. The vehicle is at a third party auto body repair shop.

Filed Aug 31, 2026 · Airbags · 1,200 miles · NC · crash · 1 injury

The contact owns a 2026 Kia EV9. The contact stated that while driving 25 MPH and accelerating through a four-way intersection after a complete stop, the vehicle was T-boned on the front passenger’s side by another vehicle that had ran the stop sign. The passenger’s side air bags deployed as expected, and the driver’s side air bag also deployed, causing a fractured right humerus. The contact required emergency surgery. The contact was pregnant at the time and remained hospitalized for two days. The doctors established a post-surgical recovery plan. The contact’s minor child, who was seated in a car seat on the rear passenger’s side, was not hurt. A Police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic. The insurance company had not yet determined if the vehicle was a total loss. The dealer was notified of the failure and directed the contact to an online crash test video suggesting that the front driver’s side air bag should not have deployed in the crash. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 1,200.

Filed Aug 28, 2026 · Wheels · ID

I am reporting a total of 6 failed lug bolts on the rear tires of a 2026 Kia EV9 GT-Line within 1 year of ownership. This vehicle was purchased in Aug 2025 as a new vehicle from a Kia dealership. In March 2026, vehicle was brought for it's 8000 miles service at a Kia dealership. At the time the vehicle had 9336 miles. During tire rotation, service technicians found passenger rear wheel to have a broken lug stud. From the service records, "No evidence of outside influence." This was replaced with new. Prior to this, the passenger rear tire was never serviced. On 8/7/2026, a bystander informed myself of an abnormal sound coming from my driver rear tire. The wheel center cap was removed and 3 broken lug bolts were found. The broken lug bolts were sheared off at the base of the lug nut. This tire was being held on by 2 of 5 lug bolts, representing a significant safety concern. With 2 of 5 bolts, the remaining 2 bolts are under significant stress and can break at any time potentially causing the tire to fall off of the vehicle causing loss of control, potential accident and injury or loss of life. With the discovery of the broken 3 bolts, the car was taken to a kia dealership for repair. During this service it was also noted that on the same wheel (driver rear) one of the 2 screws that hold on the rotor was broken off as well. For completeness, this tire had been serviced once before at Les Schwab tire, on 9/17/25 (1733 miles on odometer) due to a piece of metal in the tire. All lug nuts torqued to factory recommendations. On 8/27/26, the car was taken to Les Schwab for a tire rotation and balancing (18,627 miles). When the technician began removing the lug nuts from the passenger rear tire, two of the bolts broke. The car is driven only on paved roads at street and highway speeds. No accidents or damage to the car that could explain shearing of lug bolts.

Filed Aug 15, 2026 · Acceleration, Brakes · CA · crash

The car was being parked in a shopping lot. As the drive was pulling into the parking spot, the car lurched forward on its own and hit the wall. The gas pedal was not pressed. No collision sensors were triggered either. Unclear if related but the car was taken in for maintenance and recall updates the week prior to this accident.

Filed Jul 28, 2026 · Wheels · NJ

The OEM Hankook iON tires (285/45R21) on my 2026 Kia EV9 GT Line experienced acoustic foam delamination — the sound-dampening foam bonded to the interior liner of the tire separated and is moving freely inside the tire at highway speeds. At speeds above 55mph the steering wheel and car start to vibrate. At 70mph the vehicle becomes undrivable and feels as though the wheels may detach. This creates a serious and immediate safety risk to myself. I have largely avoided highway driving since the onset of this issue due to safety concerns. The problem was confirmed by the Kia dealership service advisor who performed a road force balance on June 15, 2026 — the technician confirmed the front two tires were off balance and needed replacement (but didn't save the report, their mistake). The road force balance did not resolve the issue. The service advisor also verbally confirmed that multiple other EV9 customers at the same dealership are experiencing the identical issue with no resolution, and that one customer has been waiting over three months while driving a loaner vehicle. The vehicle was inspected by the Kia dealership on June 12 and June 15, 2026. Kia Consumer Affairs was contacted and a case was opened on June 22, 2026 (Case #26202152). The assigned case manager never contacted me despite three follow up calls over three weeks. Kia Consumer Affairs ultimately directed me to contact Hankook — however Hankook's own published warranty process requires claims to be filed through authorized dealers, not consumers. There were no warning lamps or messages prior to onset. The vibration appeared suddenly at approximately 7,400 miles. The vehicle drove normally for several months prior to this onset with no vibration at any speed. The sudden onset after months of normal operation confirms this is a defect, not a vehicle characteristic. The issue has persisted since first appearing. *Video documentation of the vibration at highway speed is available upon request*