2023 Kia EV6

I was driving on a residential street at fairly slow speeds, like 25 mph. There was a stop sign so I engaged the brakes and the car did not smoothly slow down but instead it felt like the back tires locked up and a skid started and I actually went into the intersection before coming to a stop. There was no ice, no sand, just the road surface and the skid in the rear of the vehicle.

My 2023 Kia EV6 experienced a sudden ICCU and 12-volt system failure while traveling approximately 50 mph. Without warning, the vehicle instantly lost propulsion and all electrical power. This included loss of steering assist, braking assist, hazard lights, shift capability (unable to shift into Park), and even the ability to lock the doors. The failure effectively “bricked” the vehicle in motion. I was only able to get the vehicle off the roadway because the road happened to slope downward into a nearby lot. Steering required significant physical effort, the brake pedal went completely hard (“dead”), and the vehicle offered no functional parking brake or Park engagement once stopped. Because I was on a hill, we had to allow the car to roll to the bottom until it met a curb to prevent movement. After power loss, the doors could not be locked at all. This type of unrecoverable electrical failure creates an extreme safety hazard for the driver, passengers, and surrounding traffic. There is no pre-warning and no diagnostic indicator. The ICCU fuse appears to fail spontaneously and renders the vehicle uncontrollable in several critical respects. This is not an isolated issue. ICCU failures have been occurring across the Kia EV6 and Hyundai Ioniq 5/6 platforms for more than three years, including on brand-new 2025 models. The persistence of this defect across multiple model years indicates that the underlying design or component defect has not been resolved by the manufacturer. Given the suddenness of the failure, the total loss of vehicle control systems, and the long history of similar incidents reported by other owners, I am now hesitant to drive the vehicle due to the unpredictable and dangerous nature of the defect.

A couple of months ago the breaks started making a strange grinding noise and it starts vibrating for a few brief seconds, but violently. There are no warning lights or any indication of malfunction. I took it to the dealership and they allegedly fixed it. Nevertheless, less than a month later, the noise came back, and not just a noise, but the vehicle attempts to stop abruptly without me engaging the breaks. It happens intermittently, and it is quite scary when it happens while driving high speed on a freeway. It creates safety issues. This is not my first EV. I am very familiar with EVs, regenerative breaking, and so on. This is not a regenerative breaking issue. I don't even know how to properly describe it. it is very unusual.

Component/System Failure: The i-Pedal feature in the Kia EV6, designed for one-pedal driving through regenerative braking, consistently fails to stay engaged. This component is available for inspection upon request. Safety Risk:The erratic behavior of the i-Pedal function poses a significant safety risk. When the i-Pedal mode disengages unexpectedly, drivers must abruptly switch to using traditional brakes. This sudden transition increases the likelihood of delayed reactions and potential accidents, especially in heavy traffic or complex driving situations. Problem Reproduction/Confirmation: The problem has been widely reported by multiple users on forums and confirmed through personal experience. It has been noted that the i-Pedal mode disengages when the vehicle is stationary or when the battery is fully charged. Inspection by Authorities: The vehicle has been inspected by a dealer, but the issue persists due to a lack of awareness or understanding of the i-Pedal system among service personnel. No inspections by the manufacturer, police, or insurance representatives have occurred yet. Warning Lamps/Messages: There are no warning lamps or error messages indicating the malfunction of the i-Pedal feature. The issue is typically observed when the vehicle unexpectedly exits i-Pedal mode, requiring the driver to manually re-engage it using the steering wheel paddles. Assessment of the Incident:The inconsistency in the i-Pedal system's engagement appears to result from potential software bugs, sensor malfunctions, or design flaws in the regenerative braking system. This unreliability significantly impacts daily driving safety and efficiency. Recommendation 1. Software Update: Kia should release a firmware update to ensure the i-Pedal mode remains stable and reliable under all driving conditions and even after vehicle is turned off and back on.

When using 1 pedal driving, it isn't necessary to use the brake pedal to stop the EV. The EV6 will only illuminate the brake lights when the accelerator pedal is completely released, or when the brake pedal is depressed. Since using 1 pedal driving does not require depressing the brake pedal to stop, the following vehicle has no indication or warning that the EV6 is stopping. I have experienced several instances of near rear-end collisions because of this dangerous issue with the Kia EV6. I emailed Kia asking if they were going to offer an OTA fix and this is their reply, " Dear [XXX], Hello, This email is to let you know that as of now we are not aware of any updates coming out for this feature. Your complaint will remain on file here within Kia for review. Sincerely, Kia America. Curiously Kia's parent company Hyundai, whose Ionic 5 has the same problem, is receiving a fix which will illuminate the brake lights while using the same 1 pedal driving programming as the Kia EV6. Because the lack of 1 pedal driving brake light warning to following vehicles, I have turned this feature off until the issue has been resolved. I hope NHTSA takes this dangerous situation seriously and provides legislation to force auto manufacturers to adjust the conditions when brake lights must illuminate. INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).