2024 Kia EV9 Problems

What owners report

Most complaints from owners of this model year center on the driver's instrument cluster going blank, sometimes while driving, which removes speed, range and turn-signal feedback until the vehicle sits powered off. A second cluster of reports covers rear-end sway over bumps and pavement seams, reduced or failed high-voltage charging with shortened range, and seat or seat-belt hardware concerns. Many reports come in the first few thousand miles, and several owners say the cluster did not change after recall work was performed.

1. 1
   Electrical system

   Instrument cluster screen goes blank

   Mentioned in 27 of 60 sampled complaints

   Owners describe the driver's gauge display going black, either at startup or while driving, leaving no speedometer, state of charge, camera feeds or turn-signal indication inside the car. In many cases the screen comes back after the vehicle is switched off and left for roughly 30 minutes or overnight. Several owners report that a dealer applied a software update or performed recall work for the display but the blanking returned, and some dealers told owners they could not determine the cause. Reported across a wide mileage spread, from vehicles with only a few hundred miles up to about 12,000, and often within the first months of ownership.

   Recall 24V7570003 related service bulletins

   What to check: Ask whether the instrument panel software recall and any related service campaigns were completed, and confirm the cluster displays speed, range and turn signals on a cold start and after the car has sat for a while.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Without any previous warning signs or issues, the dashboard screen went blank. I was unable to see my speed, or use my signals and wipers. I tried turning the car on and off and it still wasn’t fixed. I was able to drive the car home and my infotainment system still operated but the screen with the important info is broken.”

   NHTSA complaint #11615878, filed 2024-09

   “Each time, the digital instrument panel (where the gauges are displayed) goes almost entirely blank. It’ll restart after the car sits while off, but we’ve had to drive without the instrument panel telling us how fast we’re going and whether the turn signals are on or off. This has happened twice now. Twice I have had close calls with forward collision braking. The warning comes on but the automatic breaking does not occur.”

   NHTSA complaint #11619091, filed 2024-10
2. 2
   Suspension

   Rear end sways or steps sideways over bumps

   • 28 complaints (13%)
   • typically at 1.0 yrs old
   • filed 2024–2026

   Owners describe the rear of the vehicle oscillating or shifting sideways after hitting expansion joints, potholes or uneven pavement, requiring a quick steering correction to stay in lane. The sensation is most noticeable at highway speeds and when hitting a bump at a slight angle, and some report it from the rear rows more than the front. According to the complaints, dealers have rebalanced tires, performed alignments and replaced components without eliminating the behavior, and one dealer reportedly reproduced the sway on both the owner's vehicle and a new unit. Reported from new up to roughly 12,000 miles, typically from around 20 mph and above on rough or uneven roads.

   What to check: Drive the car over expansion joints and rough pavement at highway speed and feel for rear-end movement; ask whether any suspension or alignment work has already been done.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “When driving between 20-40 mph and hitting a rough patch of road, pothole, expansion joint, or uneven pavement, the vehicle sometimes heavily sways left to right. It takes one to two seconds to stabilize after the swaying. My wife and I both experience it at different times - we say it feels like a wheel is falling off because it's so disorienting and concerning. It often happens unexpectedly with road surface that doesn't actually appear to be all that bad. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11693716, filed 2025-10

   “The back end of the car will move back and forth laterally when driving over uneven road. In particular it appears to happen when driving over a bump while also driving at a slight left or right angle. After the bump the back end will oscillate laterally. This is extremely concerning to the driver and passengers, it can feel like the car is going to bounce out of its lane.”

   NHTSA complaint #11648535, filed 2025-03
3. 3
   Electrical system

   Reduced range and charging faults on high-voltage battery

   Mentioned in 6 of 60 sampled complaints

   Owners report the battery refusing to charge past a certain percentage, charging-system error messages on the dash, and a large drop in displayed range even at a full charge in some cases. Several complaints describe a suspected weak or failed cell, with the vehicle towed or held at the dealer for extended periods while battery repairs were pending. Others note dealers lacked battery-trained technicians or could not give a repair timeline. Reported from a few thousand miles up to about 12,000, sometimes within weeks of delivery and sometimes after cold-weather charging.

   Recall 26V4310002 related service bulletins

   What to check: Ask for a battery health or state-of-health readout and a record of any high-voltage battery campaign work, and confirm the car accepts a full charge at a public DC charger.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Starting on Feb 22, 2025, we observed that our Kia EV9 had dramatically reduced range. Normally, when charging was complete the dashboard would show well over 250 miles of range, even in cold weather. On Feb 22nd we started to see the range had dropped to around 60 miles, even when the dashboard reported the battery at 100% charge. The actual range seemed to be even worse, dropping dramatically even after a short drive around our town. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11649362, filed 2025-03

   “Battery Management System light came on 1/22 , battery wouldn’t charge past 80% - took into Kia Burlington NJ for service- they diagnosed vehicle and put it on charger and was told issue was resolved. I am noticing that my battery pack is having issues- battery pack is 99kw when it goes down to 10 % in can charge it all the way to 100% but only 50kw is dispensed. Meaning that there is 40kw of battery that is unaccounted for. My max range is extremely limited to 120mi on a full charge. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11645456, filed 2025-02
4. 4
   Other or unknown

   Seat and seat-belt hardware concerns

   • 14 complaints (7%)
   • median 30,650 mi at 2.1 yrs old (2 state mileage, few)
   • filed 2024–2026

   Owners describe seats that shift or fail to stay locked in position, a seat detaching from its frame, and seat belts that jam or will not extend, particularly in the second and third rows when installing child seats. Some complaints say the rear seat-belt reminder shows an occupied, buckled seat when nothing is there, and that dealer repair attempts did not resolve it. Several owners link the reports to seat mounting hardware concerns. Reported from delivery mileage up to about 35,000 miles, often noticed during everyday use or when fitting child seats.

   Recall 24V962000Recall 24V338000

   What to check: Check that a seat-mounting bolt recall was completed, then push and rock each row's seats to confirm they lock, and pull every belt fully out and let it retract.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “The third row seatbelt is malfunctioning doesn’t work at all. I have 4 kids and that seat can’t be used at all so I don’t risk my kid safety. Contacted Kia and they were pushing at least 4 weeks”

   NHTSA complaint #11595818, filed 2024-06

   “A rear seatbelt indicator in the dashboard is broken, and it persistently indicates that (a) a passenger is in a rear seat; and (b) the passenger's seatbelt is fastened. This occurs even if a passenger is not in the seat and the passenger's seatbelt is not fastened. It is unclear whether this is strictly an electronic error in the dashboard, or if the seatbelt itself does not function appropriately. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11694316, filed 2025-10
5. 5
   Other or unknown

   Parking brake and brake-system warning

   Mentioned in 4 of 60 sampled complaints

   Complaints describe a "stop vehicle and check brake system" message appearing with little or no warning, accompanied by a sluggish response and limited brake assist in some cases. One owner reported the parking brake staying engaged after parking until it was released manually, and one describes the condition clearing after the vehicle sat switched off for a while. Owners report the message and behavior disappearing on the next start, making it hard to demonstrate to a dealer. Reported at low mileage on relatively new vehicles, sometimes on the first start of a drive.

   Recall 24V693000

   What to check: Ask whether the electronic parking brake and remote parking software updates were applied, and confirm the brake warning light stays off through several start cycles and a short drive.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I was driving around 60-65 mph on the highway when suddenly a warning alarm went off and the warning light read “stop vehicle and check brake system”. I took my foot off the accelerator and car continued to maintain speed. The power brakes did not work. I put the car into neutral hoping that would slow it down, but it continued to maintain speed. I went into the right lane and put on my hazards. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11669841, filed 2025-06

   “When I started the car up, I noticed a little bit of chattering on the brake pedal, which seemed very unusual. I drove the car forward a little bit and then all of a sudden, all these lights displays and stop vehicle and check brake system now message showed up. The car was very sluggish to drive and had almost no brake pressure. I was able to drive it out of the parking lot (slowly and carefully). …”

   NHTSA complaint #11755146, filed 2026-08

Buying note. Check the open recall list by VIN and confirm each was actually completed, then verify the instrument display and brake warnings behave on a cold start. A highway test drive over broken pavement and a charging session at a DC fast charger will surface the two other issues owners most often describe.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 60 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.