My $65,000 Kia EV9 Has Been Sitting on the Seller Since December 2nd Over a Rat, Their Sluggish Tempo of Work Is Astonishing

During the last decade, Kia has rewrote their previous narrative given to them by an earlier life once they needed to promote financial system automobiles to outlive, their life is completely different now.

They’ve began delivering shockingly competent machines just like the Stinger, the Telluride, and now the EV9, their first devoted three-row electrical SUV. Kia has spent years convincing the world that they’ve shaken off their bargain-bin fame. And but, for all their progress, horror tales like this one drag them proper again into the darkish ages of poor reliability.

Take the case of Anna Pidgeon, a annoyed proprietor of a 2024 Kia EV9 Wind, who shared her nightmare expertise within the Kia EV9 Homeowners USA Fb group:

“I drove our new 2024 EV9 Wind off the lot Sept 30. It was towed to the Kia service dept. on Dec 2 as a result of it was unpredictably failing to start out. On Dec 16 I drove it 1 hour and located it nonetheless had the issue, and it was returned it to the dealership service dept. Feb 1, they discovered a rodent had broken a wiring harness. IT TOOK THEM TWO MONTHS TO DIAGNOSE THAT!!!! The automobile remains to be within the store ready for a wiring harness to reach from S. Korea.

The automobile has been within the store for greater than half the time I’ve owned it. I’m so fed up with Kia service. By no means, in 40 years of proudly owning and driving automobiles, has any automobile firm come near taking so lengthy to a) diagnose (2 MONTHS!!) and b) repair (3+ WEEKS AND COUNTING!!) an issue. Their sluggish tempo of labor is nothing wanting astonishing- and I do not see what recourse I’ve.”

It took two months to diagnose a rodent-chewed wiring harness. That is the form of supplier incompetence that retains Kia’s fame from really graduating into the higher echelon of automakers. 

Kia EV9 Information

• Designed to accommodate households, the EV9 presents three rows of seating with configurations for six or seven passengers. Options embody swiveling second-row captain’s chairs, a number of Isofix little one seat tethers, and ample cargo house, making it a sensible selection for varied wants. 
• Outfitted with a virtually 100 kWh battery, the EV9 gives an estimated vary of as much as 349 miles on a single cost. The twin-motor all-wheel-drive variant delivers spectacular acceleration, reaching 0-60 mph in roughly 4.3 seconds, catering to drivers looking for each effectivity and dynamic efficiency. 
• The EV9 is among the many first Kia fashions to function a local Tesla/North American Charging Customary (NACS) port, granting house owners entry to Tesla’s intensive Supercharger community. This integration enhances charging comfort and displays Kia’s dedication to adopting industry-leading requirements. 

Sure, rodent injury is technically not the automaker’s fault, Toyota house owners have handled related points, however the tempo of the restore course of, the provision chain delays, and the overall dealership expertise? That’s on Kia to an extent. Individuals purchase EVs anticipating a seamless, maintenance-free expertise, not an prolonged keep on the native service division whereas a $65,000 brick gathers mud.

EVs Ought to Be Extra Dependable, So What’s Going Fallacious?

Electrification was purported to be the nice equalizer, eliminating the mechanical complexity that made inside combustion automobiles liable to failures. No timing belts to snap, no oil leaks, no transmission failures lurking at 90,000 miles. In idea, EVs must be extra dependable than their gas-powered counterparts. A 2023 Client Stories examine backs this up, exhibiting that EV powertrains expertise far fewer failures than gasoline engines. However EV house owners, particularly these coping with first-generation fashions, are discovering that when issues do go unsuitable, they go spectacularly unsuitable.

Not like a conventional fuel automobile, the place a defective wire is likely to be patched by a neighborhood mechanic, EV9’s high-voltage wiring harness is a proprietary part sourced from South Korea. This implies when one thing goes unsuitable, like a rat deciding to make a meal of your automobile’s future, the complete restore course of grinds to a halt whereas elements are shipped from abroad. And since Kia dealerships are nonetheless studying how you can service EVs, house owners like Anna are left in a maddening limbo, ready weeks or months for one thing that must be a comparatively easy repair.

A Digital Service Division

Many EV9 house owners have taken issues into their very own fingers. Fb teams like Kia EV9 Homeowners USA have grow to be unofficial service facilities, the place annoyed house owners share troubleshooting recommendation, examine horror tales, and attempt to diagnose points lengthy earlier than the dealership can. This community-driven method has led to options for software program glitches, charging points, and minor electrical faults. However for severe mechanical issues, like a shredded wiring harness, house owners are on the mercy of Kia’s dealership community, which nonetheless isn’t outfitted to deal with main EV repairs effectively.

Kia’s Reliability Repute Is at Danger

Kia has labored tirelessly to shake off its fame for poor high quality, and in some ways, they’ve succeeded. The Telluride is a runaway success, the EV6 has gained awards left and proper, and the model now competes with Honda and Toyota in buyer satisfaction. However this type of slow-motion service catastrophe is the precise factor that sends potential patrons operating again to the safer, extra established manufacturers.

Different EV9 house owners have reported 12V battery failures, random software program crashes, and lengthy delays in getting alternative elements which is nothing new to electrical car house owners, simply ask Tesla Cybertruck house owners.

Can Kia Repair This?

Kia nonetheless has an opportunity to show issues round, however they should act quick. First, dealerships want higher EV coaching. Kia mechanics who grew up wrenching on Rios and Souls want to grasp high-voltage methods, software program diagnostics, and why an EV sitting for weeks ready for an element is unacceptable. Second, Kia should repair its provide chain points. A contemporary automaker can’t anticipate EV patrons to attend months for one thing as basic as a wiring harness.

Most significantly, Kia should show to prospects that their EVs are definitely worth the funding. The EV9 is a genuinely nice SUV, but when it’s going to succeed, Kia wants to repair these rising pains earlier than they grow to be deadly flaws. In any other case, they gained’t simply lose EV9 gross sales, they’ll lose the belief of each buyer who thought Kia had lastly turned the nook.

Noah Washington is an automotive journalist primarily based in Atlanta, Georgia. He enjoys masking the newest information within the automotive {industry} and conducting evaluations on the newest automobiles. He has been within the automotive {industry} since 15 years previous and has been featured in distinguished automotive information websites. You may attain him on X and LinkedIn for ideas and to comply with his automotive protection.