A 2025 Kia EV9 driving down a road with tall trees in the backgroundThe boxy-looking Kia EV9 is an obvious choice if you're looking for an all-electric SUV that is designed with big families in mind. It is stylish, spacious, generously equipped, and drives surprisingly well, as we found in our review of the 2024 Kia EV9 GT. It's so good, in fact, that Consumer Reports chose it as one of the best EVs to buy in 2025. High praise indeed, but as we've already established, it's not cheap. Pricing begins from $56,395 with shipping for the entry-level 2025 EV9 Light and reaches $75,395 for the range-topping GT-Line. If you're spending that much on an SUV, you're probably wondering if it is reliable.As you may know, buying any car can be a gamble, but it helps to do your research before jumping headfirst into the decision. Organizations like Consumer Reports (CR) are often the first port of call for many car buyers, as its yearly survey of actual owners helps provide the information that consumers need to judge a car's reliability before buying it. As far as the 2025 Kia EV9, results from CR's survey show subpar reliability, with powertrain and build quality being the major trouble spots. The survey places the EV9 below rivals like the Rivian R1S and the now-discontinued Tesla Model X in rankings, meaning that it's one of the worst new vehicles when it comes to predicted reliability according to the site. What are the issues with the Kia EV9?A blue 2025 Kia EV9 parked on a paved road along a coastlineBased on a post by Consumer Reports, the Kia EV9's reliability problems often trace back to the integrated charging control unit (ICCU) — an onboard charger and power converter found in cars based on Hyundai Motor Group's dedicated Electric-Global Modular Platform (E-GMP), including the highly acclaimed Hyundai Ioniq 5, Kia EV6, and Genesis GV60. The small box is well known due to its reputation for failure. The root cause is linked to the ICCU's internal metal-oxide semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET), which can fail when subject to excessive electrical load conditions.When the MOSFET fails, it can take an associated fuse down with it. This, in turn, stops the ICCU from charging the 12-volt battery, resulting in the electric SUV entering limp mode. If the 12-volt battery is completely discharged, it will cause a loss of power, which could ultimately increase the risk of a crash. According to Consumer Reports' data, this issue affects only 2-10% of Hyundai and Kia EV owners. Yet it is a common enough problem for it to negatively impact the EV9's performance in reliability surveys.The ICCU fault aside, some owners have had difficulty charging their EV9s to full due to bad battery cells. Additionally, Kia has had to recall some dual-motor all-wheel-drive EV9 models owing to a welding defect in the rear drive unit that could lead to reduced acceleration and power loss, among other symptoms. That being said, the EV9 generating complaints this early in its life should not be particularly surprising. The three-row electric SUV only debuted in 2023 (ahead of the 2024 model year) as a completely new model, so early teething troubles are to be expected in some examples. Want more like this? Join the Jalopnik newsletter to get the latest auto news sent straight to your inbox, and add us as a preferred search source on Google.
+31 others
