A total of 11 owners of the Kia EV6, issued complaints about a loss of motive power, prompting the opening of a new Preliminary Evaluation by the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) in the US. All of the affected vehicles come from the 2022 model year.
Several EV6 owners reported they heard a “loud pop noise” while driving, followed by a warning on the dashboard. Almost immediately after that, they experienced either a reduction or a complete loss of motive power.
Owner interviews conducted by ODI, confirmed that the time intervals between the warning message and the loss of power vary, as with the level of power reduction.
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According to the official document from NHTSA, there is a “strong correlation” between those events and the failure of the Integrated Control Charging Units (ICCU) which powers both the high-voltage and low-voltage batteries of the electric vehicle. Results from the preliminary review suggest that the problem may be caused by an over-current within the ICCU which can damage the transistors (FET) in the DC-to-DC converter. When this happens, the 12V battery cannot recharge, resulting in a reduction or complete loss of motive power and the inability to use other vehicle systems. A flat 12V battery correlates with the owner’s complaints, which in a particular case occurred more than once.
The ongoing investigation aims to determine the “scope and severity” of the problem and assess any safety-related issues. It is possible that ODI’s Preliminary Evaluation could lead to a recall, potentially affecting 19,824 units of the Kia EV6 from the 2022 model year.
