Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government
holds on this vehicle.
Owners have filed 137 safety complaints
about the 2023 Kia EV6 with the US government. Of those, 2 describe a crash and no death is recorded. 4 recall campaigns are open against it, covering the electrical system and the power train.
The most complained-about system is the electrical system,
named in 103 complaints, 75% of the total.
The typical failure was reported at 8,000 miles,
the median across the 6
complaints that gave
an odometer reading.
Compiled from NHTSA's complaint, recall and investigation files
· Covers May 2023 to September 2026 · How this is counted
What is on file
137 complaints on file
137
Complaints
2
Describe a crash
0
Mention fire
0
People injured
0
Deaths
A complaint is an unverified account by the person who filed it, not a
finding of fault. One complaint is one ODI number, which is how NHTSA counts
them.
A recall is the manufacturer conceding a defect, and the repair is free.
Whether one covers your particular car is a question only its VIN can
answer, because a campaign covers a production range rather than a
model year.
Which system owners named
Complaints naming each system
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 103 · 75%
103 75%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 30 · 22%
30 22%
POWER TRAIN 26 · 19%
26 19%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 17 · 12%
17 12%
ENGINE 14 · 10%
14 10%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 8 · 6%
8 6%
SERVICE BRAKES 6 · 4%
6 4%
TIRES 3 · 2%
3 2%
LANE DEPARTURE 2 · 1%
2 1%
VISIBILITY/WIPER 2 · 1%
2 1%
WHEELS 2 · 1%
2 1%
BACK OVER PREVENTION 1 · 1%
1 1%
04285
Red marks a system with a recall campaign against it.
One complaint can name several systems, so these add up to more than 137.
When the complaints arrived
By the year NHTSA received them
By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures
happened. They peaked in 2026 at 57.
60 45 30 15
232023242024252025262026
This is the year the complaint was filed, not the year the failure
happened. The range runs from 2023 to 2026, the last of them a part year, which is why its column is drawn faint.
Crash test ratings
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program
NHTSA crashes a car into a barrier and a pole and measures what
happens to the dummies inside. This is what it awarded the 2023 Kia EV6, and it is a separate
question from what owners report going wrong later.
Test
SUV AWD
SUV RWD
Overall
Frontal crash
Frontal, driver
Frontal, passenger
Side crash
Side barrier
Side pole
Rollover
Chance of rollover
8.2%
8.2%
Stability control standard Forward collision warning standard Lane departure warning standard
A rating belongs to a tested body style and drivetrain, not to the model as a whole, which is why more than one is listed.
A dash means NHTSA did not rate that test for this vehicle.
Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2022-2024 EV6 and 2024 EV9 vehicles. The high voltage battery cells may contain misaligned electrodes, which can lead to a fire while parked or driving.
The risk
A fire increases the risk of injury.
The remedy
Owners are advised to park outside and away from structures and limit their charge to a maximum of 80% until the recall repair is complete. Dealers will replace the high voltage battery system assembly, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed August 7, 2026. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC375. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will become searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning July 17, 2026.
Kia America, Inc. · up to 8 vehicles across all model years covered
Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2022-2024 EV6 vehicles. The Integrated Charging Control Unit (ICCU) may become damaged and stop charging the 12-volt battery, which can result in a loss of drive power.
The risk
A loss of drive power increases the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Dealers will inspect and replace the ICCU and its fuse, as necessary. In addition, dealers will update the ICCU software. All repairs will be performed free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 13, 2024. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC327. This recall expands and replaces previous recall number 24V-200. Vehicles previously repaired under recall 24V-200 will need to have the new remedy completed.
Kia America, Inc. · up to 62,872 vehicles across all model years covered
Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2022-2024 EV6 vehicles. The Integrated Charging Control Unit (ICCU) may become damaged and stop charging the 12-Volt battery, which can result in a loss of drive power.
The risk
A loss of drive power increases the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Dealers will inspect and replace the ICCU and its fuse, as necessary. In addition, dealers will update the ICCU software. All repairs will be performed free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed April 29, 2024. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC302.
Kia America, Inc. · up to 48,232 vehicles across all model years covered
Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2023-2024 Niro EV and 2023 EV6 vehicles. One of the drive shafts may have been improperly heat-treated, allowing it to break under load and resulting in a loss of drive power.
The risk
A loss of drive power increases the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Dealers will replace the drive shaft, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 28, 2024. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC295.
Kia America, Inc. · up to 1,243 vehicles across all model years covered
In owners’ own words
Quoted from the complaint file
Quoted from NHTSA's complaint file. These are unverified accounts by the
people who filed them, not findings of fault.
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
crash
Was parking car. Pushed on brake and car accelerated
NHTSA complaint 11668229. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
crash
While changing lanes on a freeway, the car passed through a narrow strip of slush from recent snowfall. The car immediately disabled the motors, preventing acceleration and regenerative braking for nearly 50 seconds. There were no warning lights, sounds, or messages displayed on the car's gauge cluster display, either for the initial loss of propulsion or for the restoration of propulsion. This caused a loss of traction when the car eventually passed through a patch of packed snow and ice.
NHTSA complaint 11713938. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
towed · 8,000 miles
The contact owns a 2023 Kia Ev6. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle became inoperable. The vehicle was towed to a local dealer where the battery was replaced. The contact stated that the failure persisted, and the battery had been replaced approximately four times. The local dealer was able to diagnose the vehicle and related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V200000 (Electrical System); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The failure …
NHTSA complaint 11593758, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
towed · 30,000 miles
The contact owns a 2023 Kia EV6. The contact stated while attempting to unlock the driver's side door with the remote, the door failed to unlock. The contact manually unlocked the door with the key. In addition, while attempting to start the vehicle, the vehicle failed to start, with the message "12-Volt battery failure" displayed. The vehicle was towed to a local dealer; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact referenced NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V200000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM); as a probable cause for failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 30,000.
NHTSA complaint 11679918. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The ICCU on the car died in the middle of the street, car would not shift out of park. Car completely died after a few minutes.
NHTSA complaint 11765685. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
LANE DEPARTURE: ASSIST
I was driving in heavy rain on a busy highway (I4) and the lane assist pulled me off the road to the road hand side and then cut across all lanes of traffic to the left hand side. It also engaged emergency braking going forward when there was no reason to do so. Many times when I am backing up, it's engaged emergency breaking when there is no risk of collision. Finally, the front sensors are very inconsistent with when they go off. Today I was not moving and neither was the car ahead of me, first it told me I was too close (yellow) on the left bumper, then it turned off and told me I was too close (red) on the front, turned off again and went back to yellow on the right and then turned off …
NHTSA complaint 11760996, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
ICCU failure. I charged overnight at my home L2 charging as usual. I backed out of my garage and heard a loud pop. Almost immediately an “check electrical” warning came up. The car went to turtle mode and then completely died. The car was towed and I was informed the ICCU needed to be replaced. The car had all previous checks on ICCU performed (per mailed recalls) and was updated and passed each time.
NHTSA complaint 11757865. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
I charged my car at a level 3 fast charger on a road trip. After completing my charge, the AC stopped working. The fan worked but it was only blowing hot air. Normally this would be a nuisance, but the day was about 114 degrees and the car’s interior was probably close to 140 degrees. I was driving on the interstate so it was very hard to keep the windows down. The lack of HVAC made the car difficult to operate and if my family was in there would have been a safety hazard. I took it to the dealer who initially thought it need the coolant to be recharged. It turns out that the inverter for the A/C died. Apparently this has some connection to the known issues with the ICCU, which in my case …
NHTSA complaint 11757866, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
While driving southbound on the [XXX] in a rented 2023 Kia EV6 from The Hertz Corporation, picked up in [XXX] on XXX, the vehicle entered "Power Limited" mode without warning. The vehicle lost normal propulsion and decelerated from highway speed to a crawl, forcing 4-5 emergency stops onto the highway shoulder over several miles while semi-trucks passed at 70+ mph in live traffic, with two minor children in the vehicle. The vehicle was ultimately abandoned at a highway rest stop on Hertz Roadside Assistance's instruction and towed. This vehicle was subject to three NHTSA recall campaigns for the ICCU defect that produces exactly this failure mode: 24V057000 (SC295, driveshaft, notice mailed …
NHTSA complaint 11756869, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
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 complaint 11753434. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
If this is your car and a dealer keeps failing to fix it, your state's
lemon law may require the manufacturer to replace it or buy it back. How
many repair attempts it takes, and how long you have to file, is set by
the state you bought in and by nothing on this page.
Complaints: NHTSA's ODI
complaint file, published October 2, 2026. One
complaint is one ODI number, which is how NHTSA counts them.
Recalls: NHTSA's recall
campaign API, newest campaign on this vehicle filed July 2, 2026.
Investigations: NHTSA's ODI
investigation file, published October 2, 2026.
A complaint is one owner's account and has not been verified by NHTSA or by
us. A vehicle with more complaints is not necessarily worse: models that
sold in larger numbers collect more of them. How this is counted.
G
Compiled and maintained by guarledes Independent developer and analyst