10.0
really awful- Crashes / Fires:
- 0 / 0
- Injuries / Deaths:
- 1 / 0
- Average Mileage:
- 333 miles
About These NHTSA Complaints:
The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.
Brake lights do not illuminate when using the Regenerative Braking System in the Kia EV6. The vehicle is fitted with a 'one-pedal-driving' system that allows the vehicle to slow down and stop without actuation of the brake pedal. When using this system, the vehicle can decelerate rapidly and to a complete stop, however the brake lights do not illuminate unless the drivers foot is completely removed from the accelerator pedal. Doing this causes rapid deceleration beyond what would be considered normal for a driver approaching a turn or any other scenario where a planned stop will occur. Because the vehicle does not illuminate the brake lights during normal deceleration when using the one-pedal-driving feature of the regenerative braking system this significantly increases the risk of a rear end collision. The vehicle has been found to be operating normally and matches the behavior of other EV6 models. Although I have not yet been involved in a collision, I have been advised by other drivers that my brake lights are not working, and have had multiple 'close-calls' where drivers behind me have been unable to correctly determine that my vehicle is decelerating and have subsequently caused them to brake erratically or harshly putting myself and others at risk.
- Rowlett, TX, USA
The brake light does not activate in a way that would signal to other drivers that the vehicle is stopping or slowing down, while using higher regenerative braking. The ipedal mode can have a significant amount of deceleration and not activate the brake light, even coming to a full stop and not activating the light, if the driver's foot is not completely off the pedal. I have been told by other drivers that my brake lights were out when I expected that they were working. Testing this with a odb2 device and another driver following behind me confirmed that the Kia EV6 does not activate brake lights when it should. Additionally, there is a video on youtube titled "Electric cars prove we need to rethink brake lights", demonstrating this on a similar vehicle, the Hyundai Ioniq 5. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0YW7x9U5TQ There is no indication in the vehicle that the brake lights are not functioning as a driver would expect. The lights do work when using the brake pedal and are not normally "malfunctioning". The nearest dealer has confirmed that the driver needs to take their foot off of the accelerator to actuate the brake lights. In my opinion, the vehicle should be recalled to apply a fix that signals braking and intent to slow down that is consistent with the deceleration of the vehicle.
- Ostrander, OH, USA
The vehicle does not trigger brake lights when it is using Regen braking or the ipadel mode. This can cause a safety hazard for the person behind me to crash into me without the brake lights warnings
- Seattle, WA, USA
The contact owns a 2022 Kia EV6. The contact stated while stopped for a traffic signal, and with her foot on the brake pedal, the vehicle lunged forward while the traffic signal was still "red." The contact stated she did not notice any warning lights or chimes. The contact stated she crashed into the rear of the vehicle in front. The contact stated that her front grill, lights, and bumper were all damaged. The contact stated that the radiator was damaged and coolant had pooled under her vehicle. The contact stated that the rear end lift gate and rear bumper of the other vehicle had sustained heavy denting and crush damage. None of the drivers were injured, only the contact's vehicle was towed due to the damaged radiator. The contact stated that she went to a chiropractor's office a day after the accident for neck pain, headache, and upper back pain. The police were on the scene and filed a report. The contact had the vehicle towed to a dealer where it was still being diagnosed. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 3,000. The contact stated that the manufacturer was unable to provide them with recordings from the EDR and that the drive records from that day has zero drives on it. The company claims that the telematics show that it was a driver error but have not provided proof of that.
- Honolulu, HI, USA
The rear brake lights do no illuminate under heavy i-pedal and Level 3 regeneration when the throttle pedal is being touched. When moderating the rate of deacceleration with the throttle pedal, the brake lights do not illuminate even during rapid deacceleration. Significantly increasing the risk of getting rear ended in traffic.
- Sparks, NV, USA
I had driven the car for about 80 miles on a mix of urban expressway, parkway, and city streets, when inexplicably the "frunk lid" (or hood) released itself from the fully closed position to the "ajar" position. That is the position that the lid would assume if you pulled the inside release. To open fully, one must manually release the "safety catch, " after which it would open fully. As soon as the lid moved from fully closed to slightly open, a warning symbol appeared on the dashboard accompanied by a frenzied warning chime. I was in traffic and stopped as soon as it was safe to do so, about a quarter mile or possibly a half mile ahead. During this time the vehicle seemed sluggish. Just before the stop, my passenger pointed out that the relatively small and discreet "Parking Brake" warning was also illuminated. Right after I stopped, I shut the lid as I normally would, and it stayed shut. Then my attention was drawn to the rear of the car, where light smoke was emanating from the wheels and a "burning rubber" odor was prominent. The brakes had become very hot from my short drive seeking a safe place to stop. I believe it is unsafe to have a vehicle apply the parking brake on its own with no way to release the parking brake without stopping. I believe that if the vehicle had applied the parking brake on its own at speed on an ice- or snow-covered road, or possibly even on a wet road, the rear tires would have locked up, causing the vehicle to enter an uncontrollable spin. I believe that if the vehicle had applied the parking brake on its own on a long downhill mountainous road without a nearby safe stopping location, the extreme heat generated could cause serious damage to the vehicle. The vehicle is scheduled to be inspected by a dealer tomorrow. At the moment it seems to operate normally, but note that itis an electric vehicle, and almost all of the braking activity is performed by regenerative braking and not using mechanical brakes.
- Apollo Beach, FL, USA
While driving with the hatch open, while carrying objects to long to place in car, (The drive was less than one mile and yes I had a red flag on my kayaks) I was driving in what is called 1Pedal driving. When coming to a stop light unbeknownst to me the emergency brakes (Parking brake) automatically comes on. I was unable to continue in drive until manually unlocking parking brake, but it took me a minute to figure out what was the issue. During this time I was blocking traffic till I figured the work around. This undoubtedly a software glitch by kia's programmers. To ensure that this was not a singular incident, I took the car on a quiet street to replicate this by keeping the hatch slightly ajar while coming to a standard stop like a stop sign as if I had stopped in traffic as well as stopping as if I was in traffic.. I attempted this over a dozen times. Each time in the 1Pedal mode the emergency brakes came on and wouldn't disengage till manually doing so. I have not tried to replicate this other regenerative braking modes other than 1Pedal. But when I get back to an area where traffic is not an issue I will see if it is an issue with those modes as well. I notified the service department of this matter when I Brought in the car in for software update for a safety recall. The service department did not do anything to see if there was a fix other than take a written statement that I left with them. This becomes a safety issue for the following reasons. 1. First, there is no mentioned in the Kia EV6 bible on this issue and this will take place, so there is no warning to the driver that this going to happen. 2. When coming to a stop and car does not move a nervous or inexperience driver may panic or not no what to do to remedy the situation, thinking the car is dead. And thus leaving a car obstructing the flow of regular as well emergency vehicular. 3. Driver behind the stalled vehicle may plow into the rear end of the stalled vehicle.
- Jersey City, NJ, USA
When coming to a stop while ascending a hill, the vehicle will roll backward while the brake pedal is depressed. There was enough braking force to stop the car (and prevent further forward motion), but the vehicle will roll backward.
- Mundelein, IL, USA
- Pittsford, NY, USA