My $65,000 Kia EV9 Has Been Sitting at the Dealer Since December 2nd Over a Rat, Their Sluggish Pace of Work Is Astonishing

Over the last decade, Kia has rewrote their old narrative given to them by an earlier life when they had to sell economy cars to survive, their life is different now.

They have started delivering shockingly competent machines like the Stinger, the Telluride, and now the EV9, their first dedicated three-row electric SUV. Kia has spent years convincing the world that they’ve shaken off their bargain-bin reputation. And yet, for all their progress, horror stories like this one drag them right back into the dark ages of poor reliability.

Take the case of Anna Pidgeon, a frustrated owner of a 2024 Kia EV9 Wind, who shared her nightmare experience in the Kia EV9 Owners USA Facebook group:

"I drove our new 2024 EV9 Wind off the lot Sept 30. It was towed to the Kia service dept. on Dec 2 because it was unpredictably failing to start. On Dec 16 I drove it 1 hour and found it still had the problem, and it was returned it to the dealership service dept. Feb 1, they figured out a rodent had damaged a wiring harness. IT TOOK THEM TWO MONTHS TO DIAGNOSE THAT!!!! The car is still in the shop waiting for a wiring harness to arrive from S. Korea.

The car has been in the shop for more than half the time I have owned it. I am so fed up with Kia service. Never, in 40 years of owning and driving cars, has any car company come close to taking so long to a) diagnose (2 MONTHS!!) and b) fix (3+ WEEKS AND COUNTING!!) a problem. Their sluggish pace of work is nothing short of astonishing- and I don't see what recourse I have."

It took two months to diagnose a rodent-chewed wiring harness. This is the kind of dealer incompetence that keeps Kia’s reputation from truly graduating into the upper echelon of automakers. 

Kia EV9 Facts

• Designed to accommodate families, the EV9 offers three rows of seating with configurations for six or seven passengers. Features include swiveling second-row captain's chairs, multiple Isofix child seat tethers, and ample cargo space, making it a practical choice for various needs. 
• Equipped with a nearly 100 kWh battery, the EV9 provides an estimated range of up to 349 miles on a single charge. The dual-motor all-wheel-drive variant delivers impressive acceleration, achieving 0-60 mph in approximately 4.3 seconds, catering to drivers seeking both efficiency and dynamic performance. 
• The EV9 is among the first Kia models to feature a native Tesla/North American Charging Standard (NACS) port, granting owners access to Tesla's extensive Supercharger network. This integration enhances charging convenience and reflects Kia's commitment to adopting industry-leading standards. 

Yes, rodent damage is technically not the automaker’s fault, Toyota owners have dealt with similar issues, but the pace of the repair process, the supply chain delays, and the general dealership experience? That’s on Kia to an extent. People buy EVs expecting a seamless, maintenance-free experience, not an extended stay at the local service department while a $65,000 brick gathers dust.

EVs Should Be More Reliable, So What’s Going Wrong?

Electrification was supposed to be the great equalizer, eliminating the mechanical complexity that made internal combustion cars prone to failures. No timing belts to snap, no oil leaks, no transmission failures lurking at 90,000 miles. In theory, EVs should be more reliable than their gas-powered counterparts. A 2023 Consumer Reports study backs this up, showing that EV powertrains experience far fewer failures than gasoline engines. But EV owners, especially those dealing with first-generation models, are discovering that when things do go wrong, they go spectacularly wrong.

Unlike a traditional gas car, where a faulty wire might be patched by a local mechanic, EV9’s high-voltage wiring harness is a proprietary component sourced from South Korea. This means when something goes wrong, like a rat deciding to make a meal of your car’s future, the entire repair process grinds to a halt while parts are shipped from overseas. And since Kia dealerships are still learning how to service EVs, owners like Anna are left in a maddening limbo, waiting weeks or months for something that should be a relatively simple fix.

A Digital Service Department

Many EV9 owners have taken matters into their own hands. Facebook groups like Kia EV9 Owners USA have become unofficial service centers, where frustrated owners share troubleshooting advice, compare horror stories, and try to diagnose issues long before the dealership can. This community-driven approach has led to solutions for software glitches, charging issues, and minor electrical faults. But for serious mechanical problems, like a shredded wiring harness, owners are at the mercy of Kia’s dealership network, which still isn’t equipped to handle major EV repairs efficiently.

Kia’s Reliability Reputation Is at Risk

Kia has worked tirelessly to shake off its reputation for poor quality, and in many ways, they’ve succeeded. The Telluride is a runaway success, the EV6 has won awards left and right, and the brand now competes with Honda and Toyota in customer satisfaction. But this kind of slow-motion service disaster is the exact thing that sends potential buyers running back to the safer, more established brands.

Other EV9 owners have reported 12V battery failures, random software crashes, and long delays in getting replacement parts which is nothing new to electric vehicle owners, just ask Tesla Cybertruck owners.

Can Kia Fix This?

Kia still has a chance to turn things around, but they need to act fast. First, dealerships need better EV training. Kia mechanics who grew up wrenching on Rios and Souls need to understand high-voltage systems, software diagnostics, and why an EV sitting for weeks waiting for a part is unacceptable. Second, Kia must fix its supply chain issues. A modern automaker cannot expect EV buyers to wait months for something as fundamental as a wiring harness.

Most importantly, Kia must prove to customers that their EVs are worth the investment. The EV9 is a genuinely great SUV, but if it’s going to succeed, Kia needs to fix these growing pains before they become fatal flaws. Otherwise, they won’t just lose EV9 sales, they’ll lose the trust of every customer who thought Kia had finally turned the corner.

Noah Washington is an automotive journalist based in Atlanta, Georgia. He enjoys covering the latest news in the automotive industry and conducting reviews on the latest cars. He has been in the automotive industry since 15 years old and has been featured in prominent automotive news sites. You can reach him on X and LinkedIn for tips and to follow his automotive coverage.