2026 Kia EV9

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.

NHTSA ID

11763764

Incident

Feb 27, 2026

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.

NHTSA ID

11763485

Incident

Jun 28, 2026

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.

NHTSA ID

11761029

Incident

Aug 18, 2026

Mileage

1,200 mi

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.

NHTSA ID

11760406

Incident

Aug 27, 2026

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.

NHTSA ID

11757172

Incident

Jul 9, 2026

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*

NHTSA ID

11753347

Incident

Jun 1, 2026

Beginning at approximately 104 miles (shortly after delivery at 75 miles), this vehicle exhibits a persistent vibration felt through the steering wheel, seat, and floorboard at highway speeds — specifically beginning around 55 mph, again at 61–63 mph, and most noticeably between 68–74 mph. A second defect involves rear-end instability where the rear of the vehicle feels loose and sways side to side over bumps and at higher speeds. Five repair attempts across two authorized Kia dealerships have failed to resolve either concern. A Kia Field Technical Specialist attributed the vibration in writing to the vehicle’s design (center console and floor-mounted captain seats). An independent inspector arranged by BBB Auto Line confirmed both defects on July 2, 2026. This appears to be a platform-level issue affecting multiple 2026 EV9 vehicles based on owner reports.

NHTSA ID

11752849

Incident

Mar 21, 2026

Since taking delivery on June 20, 2025, this vehicle has exhibited a vibration at highway speeds, most severe at approximately 72 mph. The steering wheel visibly shakes and the vibration is felt through the steering column. It is fatiguing over long drives and I have become unwilling to use the vehicle for family highway travel. I reported it to the selling dealer within days of delivery. Authorized Kia dealers have attempted repair four times over thirteen months, including tire replacement, multiple road force balances, and alignments. The dealer has now tested the vehicle with the original factory wheels and tires, an aftermarket set, and a known-good set of wheels and tires from another EV9, and confirmed in writing that the vibration is still present in all three configurations. The dealer has additionally found excessive road force on the original factory tires on two separate occasions. The dealer has advised me that Kia may consider this a normal characteristic of the model and that no further repair is expected. No crash or injury has occurred.

NHTSA ID

11750444

Incident

Jun 20, 2025

PRODUCT IMPROVEMENT CAMPAIGN: OWNER'S MANUAL INSERT LEAFLET (PI2601B) - This document is the PI2601B Owner's Manual Insert Leaflet that contains revised information for wipers. Vehicle owners are advised to keep this leaflet with the Owner's Manual.

PRODUCT IMPROVEMENT CAMPAIGN: OWNER NOTIFICATION (PI2601B) - This document is the owner notification advising that Kia is conducting a Product Improvement Campaign on all 2024-2025 MY and certain 2026 MY EV9 vehicles to install enhanced windshield wiper software that provides drivers with additional reminders related to the use of the windshield wipers during winter conditions.

TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: PRODUCT IMPROVEMENT CAMPAIGN: WIPER MESSAGE LOGIC IMPROVEMENT (PI2601B) - This bulletin provides information to install enhanced windshield wiper software on certain 2024–2026MY EV9 (MV1, MV1a) vehicles as listed.

PRODUCT IMPROVEMENT CAMPAIGN: DEALER PARTS AND SERVICE MANAGER MEMO (PI2601B) - This document is the announcement to the dealer Parts and Service managers advising that Kia is conducting a a Product Improvement Campaign on all 2024-2025 MY and certain 2026 MY EV9 vehicles, manufactured from September 25, 2023 through July 16, 2026, to install enhanced windshield wiper software that provides drivers with additional reminders related to the use of the windshield wipers during winter weather conditions.

PRODUCT IMPROVEMENT CAMPAIGN: DEALER PRINCIPAL MEMO (PI2601B) - This document is the announcement to the dealer principals advising that Kia is conducting a Product Improvement Campaign on all 2024-2025 MY and certain 2026 MY EV9 vehicles, manufactured from September 25, 2023 through July 16, 2026, to install enhanced windshield wiper software that provides drivers with additional reminders related to the use of the windshield wipers during winter weather conditions.

PRODUCT IMPROVEMENT CAMPAIGN: QUESTION AND ANSWER (PI2601B) - This document is the Question and Answer Guide containing the most frequently asked questions regarding the Product Improvement Campaign PI2601B.