The Kia EV9 has run into a serious issue for a flagship electric crossover: battery failures are hitting some cars. Owners are reporting reduced range, erratic charging, and repair delays that can last months.
The Verge's Tom Warren detailed his own experience. His EV9 first completely died on his driveway. The key fob didn't work, the app lost connection, and he could only open the car with the mechanical key. The culprit was a dead 12-volt battery, which renders the car unusable even when the main pack is charged. After a dealer visit and software updates, the high-voltage battery started acting up.
Charging above 80% triggered odd behavior. The battery indicator would jump from 82% to 100% as if the final 18% appeared out of nowhere. On a DC fast charger, power would drop to zero, then the car would take roughly ten minutes to show a full charge, yet the estimated range wouldn't budge. The dealer couldn't replicate the issue at first, but a video recording helped confirm it.
An OBD scanner revealed a more worrying picture. At a reported 100% state of charge, only 71 kWh of usable energy was available, compared to the pack's nominal 99.8 kWh and an expected ~96 kWh usable capacity. In effect, the EV9 had lost roughly a quarter of its battery capacity and a proportional amount of range. Diagnostic data showed that some cells were failing to hold a charge.
The dealer confirmed the traction battery issue and entered the car into Kia's repair program. While the UK warranty covers the battery for eight years, repair timelines have become a major headache. The Verge reports that some EV9 owners have been waiting up to nine months for a replacement or refurbished battery. Some cars can still be driven, while others refuse to charge beyond a certain level or see their range drop to as little as 30 miles (about 48 km).
The fallout extends to daily life. Kasem Saowidjit has been waiting since January for a repair, still paying hundreds of pounds monthly on his EV9 lease while driving a smaller EV6 loaner. Helen Crawforth has been without her SUV for five months; she got an ICE replacement that costs more to operate. For Blair Ogilvy, issues began with the 12-volt battery, then range dwindled to about 80 miles (129 km), and other systems—including collision avoidance—failed. He says Kia declared the car unsafe.
The EV9's troubles add to a broader set of issues within Hyundai Motor Group. Hyundai and Kia have previously dealt with ICCU (Integrated Charging Control Unit) failures in models like the Ioniq 5 and EV6. A faulty ICCU can cause power loss while driving. In response, the companies have extended warranties in several countries. Consumer Reports earlier noted that up to 10% of owners of certain Hyundai and Kia EVs might experience ICCU problems, varying by model and model year.
So far, Kia hasn't issued a dedicated service bulletin for this battery issue on the EV9. Owners experiencing sudden range loss, odd charging behavior, or battery error messages should use an OBD II scanner to check the high-voltage pack and document the findings before heading to the dealer. An expensive EV might get away with polarizing looks or a hefty price tag, but months-long waits for a battery are a different matter.