Kia's flagship EV has a battery problem

A Kia EV9 became completely dead when the owner attempted to unlock it, with the key not working and the app connection unavailable. The owner used the manual key to open the vehicle and accessed the frunk to reach the 12V battery, then used a booster to restore power. The 12V battery powers most low-voltage systems, so failure can render the vehicle unusable. After Kia software updates intended to address 12V battery issues, the owner later observed abnormal charging behavior. Charging past 80% caused the car to jump from about 82% to 100% on an AC charger, while the vehicle’s range at 100% dropped significantly. Kia initially could not replicate the issue until it was recorded during fast DC charging, where the car dropped to 0 kW at 82% and took about 10 minutes to reach 100%.

"I first realized there was an issue with Kia's flagship EV9 when I tried to unlock my car last year. The hulking three-row SUV was sitting on my driveway completely dead. The key didn't work, the app connection to the car was gone, and I was already late to an appointment. Luckily, I had prepared for such a scenario, after reading about widespread 12-volt battery issues with the EV9."

"I managed to open the car with the manual key that Kia supplies and access the frunk to reach the 12V battery and use a booster I had purchased to jolt it back to life. Like many ICE cars, a 12V battery powers most of the low-voltage electrical systems in a vehicle, so when it dies, the vehicle is rendered useless. I called my local Kia dealership to report the problem."

"A few weeks after Kia had run software updates to address the 12V battery issue, I started to notice weird charging issues with my EV9. Every time I tried to charge past 80 percent, the car would jump from 82 percent to 100 percent on my home AC charger, as if it had miraculously instantly charged that last 18 percent. I also noticed the range of the car had gone down significantly at 100 percent charge."

"It seemed like a battery problem, the type of issue I've read so many people posting about on EV9 owner groups on Facebook. I reported the problem to Kia and they weren't able to initially replicate it until I was able to record the issue on my phone while charging on a fast DC charger. The car would drop to a 0kW charge rate at 82 percent and take about 10 minutes to fake its way to 100 percent wit"

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