2023 Kia EV6 Powertrain (other) Problems

While driving a rented 2023 Kia EV6 on the freeway, the vehicle lost power and shut down completely, without warning, on multiple separate occasions during a single trip. This occurred at highway speed in live traffic, creating a serious risk to vehicle occupants and surrounding traffic. The vehicle was a rental (Dollar Rent A Car); no external damage or collision was involved. The vehicle has since been towed.

NHTSA ID

11753434

Incident

Jul 28, 2026

First ICCU the power completely went out on 2/23/26. Power went out again April, 2026. Currently car is immobile and unreliable and not safe for driving due to power failures. Towed car to Kia Cerritos. Car supposedly "fixed" (with other issues I've reported to KIA of America & CA BAR/DMV) Currently 12V battery is not holding charge as of 4/27/26, 4/28/26, and 5/2/26. I received a letter from KIA stating ICCU and inability to charge, Keep this Letter in your Glove Box for a free diagnosis and possible no cost servicing. As an older American this is inherently unsafe, as I travel for work and cannot be stuck on the road. The vehicle suddenly loses power in traffic. It simply stops running. This is my 5th attempt to file this very complaint between April and 6/14/26.

NHTSA ID

11744054

Incident

Apr 27, 2026

ICCU failure, a well known issue with these cars.

NHTSA ID

11738207

Incident

May 14, 2026

ICCU failed despite all prior recall updates being performed. Incident began when home circuit breaker tripped; vehicle subsequently refused Level 1 charging with "Check Electrical System" warning. Per dealer suggestion, tested public chargers. Level 3 (DC) worked, but upon connecting to Level 2 (AC/J1772), a loud "pop" occurred, and the public charging station immediately suffered a mechanical failure/shutdown. Vehicle then displayed "Stop vehicle and check power supply," and was unable to drive above 40mph (with a turtle icon visible on the dash) once I pulled away from the charging station. This created a significant safety hazard while navigating traffic. Within two hours, the 12V battery was completely depleted; vehicle was unresponsive and required a jump-start for towing. Dealer confirmed ICCU failure requiring replacement. The fact that the vehicle's internal failure caused the immediate malfunction of public infrastructure is deeply concerning, as was the loss of motive power on the road.

NHTSA ID

11734074

Incident

Apr 14, 2026

Repeated failed attempts to repair ICCU culminating in ICCU failure. May 15, 2024 – Initial repair attempt (ICCU-related recall/service). September 5, 2024 – VCMS logic recall performed. December 19, 2024 –second repair attempt for ICCU-related issue. October 16, 2025 – Limp-home logic recall performed. March 11, 2026- Vehicle experienced a complete loss of power and was rendered undrivable. Repeated attempts to avoid ICCU failure still resulted in said ICCU failure and a loss of propulsion event while vehicle was on the road.

NHTSA ID

11730649

Incident

Mar 11, 2026

ICCU Failure. It's been replaced by Kia under warranty. Initially Level 2 charging failed multiple times. Luckily mine didn't die on the road, but it very well could've like others reported.

NHTSA ID

11725085

Incident

Mar 12, 2026

The ICCU failed. The vehicle suddenly stopped on the road, would not go into any gear and could not be moved whatsoever, was stuck on the side of the road in a dangerous position. Called roadside assistance, after a few hours the vehicle was towed to the nearest dealership. After a week the vehicle had the ICCU replaced under warranty.

NHTSA ID

11722077

Incident

Jan 24, 2026

1st instance: Battery Coolant errors that occurred on and off. 2nd instance: The ICCU unit failed and car was not able to charge via level 2 and only fast charge. Car was still operable. Dealer replaced ICCU 3rd instance: The ICCU failed and car was rendered inoperable. Dealer Replaced ICCU. We are now on our third ICCU since we purchased the car in 11/26/2022. This would be considered a lemon law

NHTSA ID

11721594

Incident

Nov 21, 2025

While driving my Kia EV6 in the middle of a snowstorm, the vehicle experienced a sudden and severe power failure. I heard a loud popping sound from the rear of the cabin, after which the vehicle immediately entered reduced-power (limp) mode. Within approximately one minute, the vehicle shut down entirely and lost all propulsion and mobility. I was able to move the vehicle to a safe location only because I was not in traffic or on the highway at the time of the failure. Had this occurred at highway speeds or in active traffic, it would likely have resulted in a dangerous situation with a high risk of collision, especially given the severe winter weather, low visibility, and slippery road conditions. The vehicle has approximately 21,000 miles. This is the second failure of the Integrated Charging Control Unit (ICCU) in this vehicle. The vehicle was inspected by an authorized Kia dealer, who has officially diagnosed the failure as a failed ICCU and associated fuse. There were no warning lights or messages prior to the failure. The first indication of a problem was the popping sound, immediately followed by limp mode and then a complete shutdown without further warning. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request. The repeat nature of this failure, lack of advance warning, and sudden loss of propulsion represent a serious safety defect.

NHTSA ID

11714011

Incident

Jan 26, 2026

While driving at normal speed, my Kia EV6 experienced a sudden and complete failure of the ICCU system with zero warning. The vehicle instantly lost all propulsion power and all 12V electrical power, rendering the car uncontrollable and unsafe. I was unable to accelerate, unable to place the vehicle in gear, and unable to activate hazard lights. This occurred despite the vehicle being at approximately 99% battery charge. This failure created an immediate and severe safety hazard, as the vehicle effectively became a dead object in traffic without warning to surrounding drivers. There was no prior alert, no dashboard warning, and no indication of impending failure. This defect is well-documented and pervasive across the Hyundai–Kia–Genesis E-GMP electric vehicle platform and has persisted despite multiple recalls spanning several model years. Kia has acknowledged the issue through recalls but does not have a reliable or permanent fix. Even newer model year vehicles that are claimed to address the issue have experienced the same failure. If this defect occurred in an internal combustion engine vehicle — for example, a random, complete engine shutdown or fuel system failure while driving — it is highly unlikely that regulators would permit the issue to persist across multiple model years without resolution. The fact that this is occurring in an electric vehicle should not lower the safety standard. A sudden total loss of propulsion and electrical power is equally dangerous regardless of drivetrain. Critically, there is no assurance that this failure will not recur, even after replacement of the ICCU or related components. Owners are effectively being returned vehicles that can lose all power again at any time, without warning. It is deeply concerning that this issue remains unresolved after multiple recalls and multiple model years. Continued operation of these vehicles without a verified, permanent fix places the public at ongoing risk.

NHTSA ID

11711508

Incident

Dec 15, 2025

I am submitting this as a supplemental statement to my existing NHTSA safety complaint regarding my electric vehicle, KIA EV6, 2023 model. Since my original filing, the vehicle has now experienced loss of power / loss of propulsion a total of three times. These incidents occur without warning, are unpredictable, and render the vehicle unsafe to operate. The vehicle can suddenly lose motive power, creating a serious risk of collision, particularly in traffic or at speed. The manufacturer and authorized dealership have been unable to identify the root cause or permanently repair the defect. Dealer documentation reflects that the issue “cannot be replicated,” and no corrective action beyond temporary battery charging or system reset has been performed. No explanation has been provided as to why the power loss occurred or how it will be prevented from recurring. Because the defect is intermittent and safety-critical, I no longer feel safe driving this vehicle and have stopped operating it entirely. A reasonable consumer would consider repeated, unexplained loss of propulsion to present an unreasonable risk to safety. I am submitting this update so NHTSA is aware that: The defect is recurrent (three incidents) The condition remains unresolved The vehicle is unsafe for continued use I respectfully request that NHTSA review this matter for potential investigation, as loss of propulsion in an electric vehicle poses a serious safety hazard to the driver and others on the road. Thank you for your attention to this safety concern. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11707268

Incident

Dec 27, 2025

While driving, heard a pop and a check electric vehicle system error popped up on the dash. Car was not drivable except for very low speeds shortly after (impacted safety of the drive) until it eventually stopped being able to turn on at all.

NHTSA ID

11706763

Incident

Aug 22, 2025

The vehicle experienced a total power failure resulting in complete inoperability (no start, no unlock, no electrical response). This is the second occurrence within approximately five weeks. The most recent incident occurred after the vehicle was fully charged and driven the day prior. There were no warning lights or messages before the failure. The vehicle was previously inspected by an authorized dealer and a manufacturer service campaign related to the charging/low-voltage system was performed, after which the problem recurred. This condition can strand the driver without warning and poses a safety concern.

NHTSA ID

11706395

Incident

Dec 21, 2025

The ICCU in my Kia EV6 failed while driving. Thankfully I was not involved in a crash, but my speed was capped at 30 MPH, crawled back home, where the vehicle wouldn't start. I had to get it towed to the service center. All of this besides all recalls and software updates being addressed. There were multiple warning lights that went off during my drive: "Stop vehicle and check power supply" "Check electric vehicle system"

NHTSA ID

11662103

Incident

May 4, 2025

driving at around 35mph I heard a pop and a warning showed up on the dash stating "stop vehicle and check power supply". This warning put the car into limp mode as I was about to turn on to a busier road to get to my place of employment. The car was then towed, at the request of Kia, to the nearest dealership. It was diagnosed a few days later as having a faulty ICCU, or integrated charging control unit. There were no indications of the problem before the loud pop which I am assuming was a fuse blowing, and the car entering limp mode and showing warnings on the dash. This is a known issue by Kia as I have had my car in for multiple recalls regarding the ICCU.

NHTSA ID

11650794

Incident

Feb 27, 2025

On January 23 2025, while driving on the highway, the car lost power an had limited control. The car was towed to a dealer and it was determined that the ICCU failed. The car was at the dealer three weeks earlier for a recall related to the ICCU (ICCU (SC273A VCU SW LOGIC UPGRADE (VSC) • SC273A and ICCU INSPECTION/REPLACEMENT • SC302 ). Obviously, the recalls did not prevent the ICCU failure.

NHTSA ID

11650739

Incident

Jan 23, 2025

I have had 3 incidents where the ev6 went out of power. The one recent incident is when the car suddenly started giving red alert on low power and suddenly slowing down even when I try to step on the pedal to accelerate. Please see my video and photos of these incidents. And all these times my main battery of ev6 was always having charge higher than 40%. I was driving on all 3 occasions, once on highway close to the exit where I had to pull over to curbside. The ev6 has hence lost my trust since these type of sudden power failures could lead to my life straight being on risk - the 12 volt battery has died two times after I purchased the car in feb 2023! Kia themselves do not know what issues exist in the car- the recalls have happened three times, as I type this my ev6 is sitting at the west gate Kia service in wake forest, North Carolina since 17 days for a spare part called ICCU recall and replacement! I have been forced to lay an amount of $745 on this car every month and it’s draining me out financially and mentally. the worst part is since this is electric car , and you run out of battery power then it suddenly halts, if you are on high speed road on freeway no doubt you get hit by the car behind you and you die. I am not willing to put my life and my family’s life on danger when I drive this car anymore. Kia is not willing to buyback the car, I have paid a very high price for this and my car value has come down, leaving me a sum of more than around $10000 difference when I try to sell it back to Kia. This is injustice given that my life is in danger, I might face this experience again when Kia ev6 shuts on the power while I am on road, and I will get hit bythe car behind me and die. I need justice, I need Kia to buy my car back asap. I do not need to pay 745 monthly for this [XXX] car. Please help. Thanks, [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11649943

Incident

Feb 22, 2025

I was on my way to the highway when about one mile from home when without warning vehicle went into Limp Mode. Acceleration suddenly dropped to 25mph. It was very dangerous trying to drive uphill on a busy road at limited power to get back to my home. Thankfully I was not yet on the highway. Dealer said that both the ICCU and fuse that were inspected a month ago due to a recall and found to have no error codes in January now need to be replaced. Parts on back order with no ETA.

NHTSA ID

11643938

Incident

Feb 13, 2025

My Kia EV6, AWD Wind has the exact problem described in this Ionic 5 video, [XXX] , which addresses your TSB 24-EV-003H. It appears my EV6 uses the same electric oil pump (EOP) as the Ionic 5, so I am not sure why the EV6 was not included in your TSB? The first 14 months I owned my car, I loved it, then in June after I started driving for 45 to 60 mins, the car ride started becoming rough or unsmooth. After researching it on the Internet and purchasing some diagnostic tools, I figured out, that when I start driving the car there is a demand signal for the EOP but the pump has no rpm, no torque and no DC current. Depending on driving conditions, it appears the rear motor stops propelling the car when it reaches 190 to 205 degrees and the front motor kicks in to do all the propulsion. Under the front motor propulsion, the car has a definite “lag” in responsiveness which I consider extremely unsafe as I expect to get an instantaneous response when I step on the accelerator not a lethargic response with no “zip”. It is similar to the difference between a turbojet engine and a turbofan engine. It has been to my Kia dealership’s service dept where they told me they duplicated the the switch from the rear to the front motor but after talking to Kia this condition was “normal” as the computer calculated this was the most efficient operation of the car I said that was BS and asked them if they checked the oil pump and was told yes. Bottom line, it’s the same EOP as the Ionic 5 and the EV6 has the same problems with it except there is no displayed fault code so Kia fails to acknowledge the problem. Also, based on what I see when the motors switch, the on board screen display shows the front motor with 5-7 bars of whatever the measurement is and the rear motor has only 1 or 0 bars but the OBD data shows both motors with the same rpm? Three EV6 problems: EOP inoperative, no fault code, data disconnect (OBD vs displayed data). INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11609185

Incident

Jun 3, 2024

The contact owns a 2023 Kia EV6. The contact stated that while driving 72 MPH, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. In addition, the contact stated that the console displayed that the drive mode independently switched from rear wheel to front wheel only. The vehicle was driven to a safe location and parked. The contact allowed the vehicle to sit for approximately thirty minutes; then the vehicle was started the vehicle and driven to the destination. The failure reoccurred, and the failure was persistent. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the failure could not be duplicated. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 8,000.

NHTSA ID

11594758

Incident

May 23, 2024

Mileage

8,000 mi

Vehicle lost its power while trying to park. It could not be locked either. This is the second time this has happened. The first time, dealership said they replaced the auxiliary battery. When it got towed the second time, the dealership said, we only recharged the aux battery during the last complaint! Now, the dealership does not have anyone who can look into this issue for one week. Added to that, they do not have any loaner cars either! The car has 10,523 miles on it now. Car had 8000 miles during the first incident. We feel this is dangerous, unacceptable quality and not to mention, unbecoming of a vehicle brand not to give us a loaner car and expect us to wait a minimum of 10 days to figure out the problem.

NHTSA ID

11584277

Incident

Apr 21, 2024

Vehicle does not reliably handle the 12V battery well. Many times, I see it sitting at 12.8 VDC when driving the vehicle. On a ICE vehicle, the charging voltage is close to 14V when running/driving. On 3 separate occasions, when I tried to "start" the EV6, the 12V battery was too dead to allow the car to be started. Basically stranded. This can be life threatening if this occurs in frigid temps. Or a hazard to traffic if/when the car tells you to "pull over safely, immediately". OK, I can "block the box" because my car died??? Kia and Hyundai need to address this issue that's common to their recent "luxury" EVs. With all the high-tech these cars have, why can't it manage the charge-state of the 12V battery? Tesla vehicles do not have this issue (I believe). Tesla EVs do "lose" their 12V battery over time, but that is similar to the 12V battery that eventually dies in a regular ICE vehicle. This 3rd time that this occurred, I called 800-KIA and had the car towed. So far, "they cannot reproduce the problem".

NHTSA ID

11581040

Incident

Mar 29, 2024

I leased a 2023 Kia EV6 vehicle and on October 30, 2023, I was 45-60 minutes into my first road trip when a warning displayed in the dashboard followed immediately by a reduction of motive power. The warning displayed was a turtle icon and the words “Power Limited.” Traveling on CA I-5 when this occurred putting me in a very dangerous situation. I navigated several lanes of traffic, vehicle decelerating, to reach the shoulder and pull over then to merge into existing traffic traveling at a high rate of speed only to advance 7-10 miles before the warning display reappeared. I then repeated the process another 7-8 times until I reached my destination. Later that day, again, 45-60 minutes non-stop when the warning display reappears for the second time and I’m forced to repeat the process another 7-8 times to make it to the dealership. I was told the vehicle had a warranty defect in the VCSM which had to be replaced. On January 25, 2024, the issue reoccurred for a third time after and I drove the vehicle directly to the dealership. I was told the diagnostic test did not reveal any codes and they had a service advisor drive the EV6 home, over an hour to see if he could recreate the problem. The service advisor experienced the same issue, twice, and the diagnostic scan did not reveal any codes. My safety and well-being have been compromised on three-separate occasions and twice with a dealership service advisor. I contacted Kia Customer Care Center and opened a case #15946871 and a tech-line case #16141516 was opened with Kia America. NHTSA opened an investigation on the 2022 Kia EV6 and the 2023 Hyundai Ioniq 5 which shares the same E-GMP electric vehicle platform. The investigation confirmed “a range of loss of power and varying time intervals between the warning message and loss of power and all power to the vehicle was subsequently lost, immobilizing the vehicle.”

NHTSA ID

11573068

Incident

Oct 30, 2023

In addressing your inquiries: 1. **Component or System Failure:** - The charging system of my vehicle malfunctioned at DC Fast Charger and all charging levels. This can be inspected upon request. 2. **Safety Implications:** - On January 2, 2024, charging issues at a DC fast station resulted in error messages, and on January 8th, I was stranded for 3 hours in cold weather with only 3 miles of range, posing a significant safety risk. 3. **Confirmation by Service Center:** - The issue has been documented with the dealership, but a comprehensive resolution is pending. 4. **Inspections by Others:** - The vehicle has not been inspected by the manufacturer, police, or insurance representatives at this point. 5. **Warning Signs:** - Error messages occurred on January 2, 2024, during a DC fast charge, and the severity of the issue became evident on January 8th, resulting in an extended charging time.

NHTSA ID

11565627

Incident

Jan 2, 2024

The motor inverter for the rear motor failed while I was driving. The power cut out, and luckily I was able to drift over to the side of the road. On a highway, it would have been very dangerous. The dealer diagnosed the inverter issue, and said it needs to be replaced. The car has not been inspected by the manufacturer, the police, or insurance representatives. A warning message appeared the moment the power cut out. It said, "Check electric vehicle system."

NHTSA ID

11533689

Incident

Jul 13, 2023