2025 Kia EV6

While driving Friday 4/17/26, I heard a pop and the car displayed a message to "Check electric vehicle system." The car seemed to still drive so I drive it home. That evening the car would not charge. I called Jim Shorkey Kia on 4/18/26, where I bought the car, to schedule the car to be looked at. They told me to bring it in on Monday and they will try to squeeze me in so they can diagnose the issue. Later that morning, I took that car out and made it about a block away before the car displayed a new message to "Stop vehicle and check power supply." At this point, the car went into a limp mode, barely moving. I was able to turn around and drive it home. Had I been on the highway, I might have been put in a dangerous situation. Now that the car has been diagnosed, the service department called and told me that the failed component was the ICCU. From what I've read, Kia claims that 1% of cars suffer from this issue. However, this percentage seems unlikely due to the number of online complaints. I wanted my experience to be an official documented case of this since I've heard that Kia has issued limited recalls in other countries and on older model Kia EV6's in the US.

KIA has created a safety hazard by removing the ability for the driver to select LIGHT or DARK mode for the two 7" data and infotainment screens in their 2025 and forward EV6 electric cars. Like many, I have to drive in very fast busy commuter traffic on highway I-66. (exaserbated by driving into the sun in the AM) The DARK mode screens have insufficient contrast even with the screen lighting turned all the way up. It takes the drivers eyes away from the road longer than is safe, particularly in high speed freeway commuter traffic. This is seriously exacerbated if the driver uses sunglasses because of the sun. This is obviously not an issue confined to highway I-66, or me.

While driving on a sunny day on a 35mph road, my dashboard reported “Check Electrical Vehicle System”. A red battery symbol appeared and my cruise control disengaged with a message “requirements not met”. When I got home I read my 12 volt battery monitor that reported the battery was 11.99v and only had a 60% state of charge. Just prior to this short drive from home, my battery was 12.77v and had a 100% state of charge. I put in my ODB reader and it provided two error codes: P1A9096 and P1A961C. The first error code is the result of an ICCU failure in its DC to DC circuit (the one that charges the 12V battery from traction battery). Using a battery charger, I was able to fully recharge the 12volt battery. My monitor says that it’s healthy with 100% state of charge. Turning the car back on resulted in a rapid drain of the battery from 100% to 93% in just five minutes while parked. The electrical system failure warning lights are still lit. I’m having my car towed for repair. If this failure had occurred more than 10 minutes from my home, I would’ve been stranded.

ICCU failure. Car lost power while driving. I heard a "pop" sound and then the car displayed a warning light moments before losing power. Car was towed to the dealership where they diagnosed and replaced the ICCU and a fuse. This is a known problem since the 2022 model year and seems to be a very common failure that the manufacturer is unable definitively repair. Thankfully I was on a local street and not on a highspeed highway when this occurred.