NHTSA (USA)Critical
At a glance
What can fail
The rear gear drive unit motor shaft may be improperly welded and damaged, which can cause loss of drive power.
What the fix does
Dealers will replace the rear gear drive unit at no cost.
This page covers 4 recalls, 18 owner complaints and NHTSA crash-test ratings for the 2025 Kia Ev9.
The 2024 to 2025 Kia EV9 received an overall rating of 5 out of 5 stars in NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program for US-market vehicles. The three-row electric SUV earned 4 stars in frontal crash protection and 4 stars in rollover resistance. It achieved 5 stars in both side crash and side pole crash tests. NHTSA applies these ratings across model years until a significant redesign occurs, so this assessment covers the entire 2024 to 2025 range shown.
5/5 Overall
NHTSA 5-Star Safety Rating
The complaint set for the 2025 Kia EV9 is small, but a few patterns stand out. Wheels draw the most reports, with multiple owners describing internal foam separation inside the Hankook iON Evo tires, the foam that lines the inside of the tire delaminates, causing significant vibration that owners typically notice around the time of a tire rotation. Seat behavior is the next most-reported issue, with owners noting that the power seat automatically returns to a saved position when the vehicle starts and that this movement is difficult to interrupt quickly. Visibility and wiper issues appear across several reports as well, with owners describing how the wiper system's recessed location below the hood line allows snow and debris to accumulate, which can cause the wipers to lose synchronization or bind against each other. A smaller number of reports mention the instrument cluster going dark and displaying a no-signal message while driving.
18
Total Complaints
By System
The 2025 KIA EV9 has 4 recalls, the most serious involving a rear drive unit motor shaft that can lose its weld integrity and cut power to the wheels, raising the risk of a crash.
The second most urgent issue involves second- and third-row seat mounting bolts that may be missing entirely. Without those bolts, the seats are not properly anchored to the floor and cannot hold occupants in place during a crash, which raises the risk of serious injury for rear passengers. On the electronics side, two recalls affect the instrument cluster: the screen can remain blank at startup or fail mid-drive due to a software fault, leaving the driver without access to the speedometer, warning lights, or any other gauge readout. Prior repair attempts did not fully resolve the screen issue, which is why it appears under more than one filing.
At a glance
What can fail
The rear gear drive unit motor shaft may be improperly welded and damaged, which can cause loss of drive power.
What the fix does
Dealers will replace the rear gear drive unit at no cost.
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Driver Assistance
Ratings from NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program (NCAP). Based on 2 tested variants; worst-case ratings shown.
Complaints are owner-reported and reflect individual experiences, not confirmed defects. They are distinct from recalls. Data sourced from the national vehicle safety complaint database. See trending complaints →
Summarized — see the official notice for exact wording, dates, and contacts.
At a glance
What can fail
The bolts that secure the second- and third-row seats may be missing, which could affect seat stability.
What the fix does
Dealers will inspect the seats and install any missing mounting bolts at no cost to you.
Summarized — see the official notice for exact wording, dates, and contacts.
At a glance
What can fail
The instrument cluster screen may stay blank when you start your vehicle, preventing warnings, indicator lights, and gauges from displaying.
What the fix does
Kia will mail you instructions to visit a dealership, where technicians will update your instrument cluster software.
Summarized — see the official notice for exact wording, dates, and contacts.
At a glance
What can fail
A software error can cause the instrument panel screen to fail, preventing it from displaying vehicle information as required.
What the fix does
Dealers will update the instrument cluster software at no cost, or the update may be delivered over-the-air automatically.
Summarized — see the official notice for exact wording, dates, and contacts.
