2026 Kia EV9

I am reporting a total of 6 failed lug bolts on the rear tires of a 2026 Kia EV9 GT-Line within 1 year of ownership. This vehicle was purchased in Aug 2025 as a new vehicle from a Kia dealership. In March 2026, vehicle was brought for it's 8000 miles service at a Kia dealership. At the time the vehicle had 9336 miles. During tire rotation, service technicians found passenger rear wheel to have a broken lug stud. From the service records, "No evidence of outside influence." This was replaced with new. Prior to this, the passenger rear tire was never serviced. On 8/7/2026, a bystander informed myself of an abnormal sound coming from my driver rear tire. The wheel center cap was removed and 3 broken lug bolts were found. The broken lug bolts were sheared off at the base of the lug nut. This tire was being held on by 2 of 5 lug bolts, representing a significant safety concern. With 2 of 5 bolts, the remaining 2 bolts are under significant stress and can break at any time potentially causing the tire to fall off of the vehicle causing loss of control, potential accident and injury or loss of life. With the discovery of the broken 3 bolts, the car was taken to a kia dealership for repair. During this service it was also noted that on the same wheel (driver rear) one of the 2 screws that hold on the rotor was broken off as well. For completeness, this tire had been serviced once before at Les Schwab tire, on 9/17/25 (1733 miles on odometer) due to a piece of metal in the tire. All lug nuts torqued to factory recommendations. On 8/27/26, the car was taken to Les Schwab for a tire rotation and balancing (18,627 miles). When the technician began removing the lug nuts from the passenger rear tire, two of the bolts broke. The car is driven only on paved roads at street and highway speeds. No accidents or damage to the car that could explain shearing of lug bolts.

The OEM Hankook iON tires (285/45R21) on my 2026 Kia EV9 GT Line experienced acoustic foam delamination — the sound-dampening foam bonded to the interior liner of the tire separated and is moving freely inside the tire at highway speeds. At speeds above 55mph the steering wheel and car start to vibrate. At 70mph the vehicle becomes undrivable and feels as though the wheels may detach. This creates a serious and immediate safety risk to myself. I have largely avoided highway driving since the onset of this issue due to safety concerns. The problem was confirmed by the Kia dealership service advisor who performed a road force balance on June 15, 2026 — the technician confirmed the front two tires were off balance and needed replacement (but didn't save the report, their mistake). The road force balance did not resolve the issue. The service advisor also verbally confirmed that multiple other EV9 customers at the same dealership are experiencing the identical issue with no resolution, and that one customer has been waiting over three months while driving a loaner vehicle. The vehicle was inspected by the Kia dealership on June 12 and June 15, 2026. Kia Consumer Affairs was contacted and a case was opened on June 22, 2026 (Case #26202152). The assigned case manager never contacted me despite three follow up calls over three weeks. Kia Consumer Affairs ultimately directed me to contact Hankook — however Hankook's own published warranty process requires claims to be filed through authorized dealers, not consumers. There were no warning lamps or messages prior to onset. The vibration appeared suddenly at approximately 7,400 miles. The vehicle drove normally for several months prior to this onset with no vibration at any speed. The sudden onset after months of normal operation confirms this is a defect, not a vehicle characteristic. The issue has persisted since first appearing. *Video documentation of the vibration at highway speed is available upon request*

Since taking delivery on June 20, 2025, this vehicle has exhibited a vibration at highway speeds, most severe at approximately 72 mph. The steering wheel visibly shakes and the vibration is felt through the steering column. It is fatiguing over long drives and I have become unwilling to use the vehicle for family highway travel. I reported it to the selling dealer within days of delivery. Authorized Kia dealers have attempted repair four times over thirteen months, including tire replacement, multiple road force balances, and alignments. The dealer has now tested the vehicle with the original factory wheels and tires, an aftermarket set, and a known-good set of wheels and tires from another EV9, and confirmed in writing that the vibration is still present in all three configurations. The dealer has additionally found excessive road force on the original factory tires on two separate occasions. The dealer has advised me that Kia may consider this a normal characteristic of the model and that no further repair is expected. No crash or injury has occurred.