The car was being parked in a shopping lot. As the drive was pulling into the parking spot, the car lurched forward on its own and hit the wall. The gas pedal was not pressed. No collision sensors were triggered either. Unclear if related but the car was taken in for maintenance and recall updates the week prior to this accident.
Acceleration & cruise control
Kia EV9 Acceleration problems by year
20 complaints filed with NHTSA about the Kia EV9's acceleration & cruise control. Unintended acceleration, surging, throttle problems and cruise or adaptive cruise faults.
Acceleration complaints by model year
Latest EV9 acceleration complaints
I was driving down the freeway driving at the speed of traffic. My vehicle started beeping aggressively, a red indicator started flashing over the frunk area of the vehicle representation in the dash and my vehicle entered red turtle mode. This red turtle mode severely reduced the vehicle's speed and ability to maneuver on the freeway. I was almost struck by numerous vehicles while attempting to get to the side of the road. I had been driving in the number 3 lane of a 5 lane freeway where lane 1 was an exit only...
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offramp. Once I got to the side of the road, I power cycled the vehicle. when that didn't revolve the red turtle issue. I pressed the frunk open button. I heard the opening mechanism actuate. I then reseated the frunk latch and closed the frunk. Once the vehicle was turned back on, all issues were resolved and the vehicle behaved as normal.
On March 19, 2026, at approximately 1003 hours, I was traveling north on the [[redacted]] located in [[redacted]] . I was traveling in the number two lane and my speed was approximately 78 MPH when all of a sudden I had a loss acceleration power and my Kia EV9 began to decelerate rapidly and my dashboard began to flash a loss of power warning. I had no control over my accelerator and could not speed up. Due to the rapid deceleration I had to take evasive action as northbound highway traffic was flowing smoothly....
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My clearest path was to move to the lefthand shoulder, which required me to cross the number one lane and the carpool lane. During this time, my Kia EV9 continued to decelerate. Once I got my vehicle onto the shoulder I placed my vehicle in park at which time my dashboard highlighted the front storage compartment of my vehicle in red. I assumed that meant my frunk was open. I exited my vehicle and checked my frunk and indeed found that my frunk was open and the first stage of the two-stage latch system was disengaged. Had the second stage of the latch system been disengaged it could have resulted in catastrophic consequences due to me traveling at highway speeds on a multilane highway. To be clear, I did not touch the interior compartment frunk release button and my keys were sitting in my left cargo short pocket located on the side of my left leg. I had also been traveling for approximately five to seven minutes and had entered the highway via the northbound [[redacted]] . I came to a stop at approximately the [[redacted]] area, which is approximately two miles north of [[redacted]] . I am aware that electric model Kia vehicles have a safety measure in which if the frunk or trunk is open the vehicle computer system does not allow the vehicle to engage in drive or reverse mode. Since I do have an electric vehicle, a diagnostic of my vehicle computer could reveal the cause. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
While driving, the vehicle suddenly lost power and could not accelerate normally. The speed dropped and got stuck around 12-25 mph even when pressing the accelerator. This happened multiple times, usually during hot daytime conditions. It created a serious safety risk, and one time another car almost hit me from behind because my vehicle slowed down so suddenly. The dealer has inspected the car several times but said they could not reproduce the problem. Warning messages such as "Power Limited" appeared on the dashboard when the failure occurred. I also recorded multiple videos of the problem when it happened.
I was driving around 60-65 mph on the highway when suddenly a warning alarm went off and the warning light read "stop vehicle and check brake system". I took my foot off the accelerator and car continued to maintain speed. The power brakes did not work. I put the car into neutral hoping that would slow it down, but it continued to maintain speed. I went into the right lane and put on my hazards. When I had the opportunity to pull into the breakdown lane, I did so and was able to push the brake pedal...
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manually and get the car to stop, and turn it off. When I turned the car back on again, I got the same warnings and alarms. After 5-10 minutes, when I turned the car on, everything seemed to have cleared. I still had the car towed to KIA to investigate the issue.
What happened? While driving at highway speeds (approximately 60-75 mph), the vehicle exhibits a pronounced up-and-down motion at the rear, commonly referred to as "porpoising." This motion is especially noticeable when traversing uneven road surfaces or expansion joints. This issue compromises vehicle stability and passenger comfort, posing a potential safety risk during high-speed travel. The problem has been consistently reproducible under similar driving conditions. The vehicle has not yet been inspected by...
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a dealer or independent service center for this specific issue. No warning lights or error messages have appeared on the dashboard in relation to this problem. Component suspected: Rear suspension system (exact cause UNKNOWN). I am willing to have the vehicle inspected upon request.
Vehicles accelerates aggressively to no limit (95+) when adaptive cruise control is set and there is no leading vehicle within following range.
Instrument panel was non-functioning
I was driving down the highway at approximately 60 mph with approximately 40% charge to the high voltage battery. While moving the car suddenly stopped accelerating and switched to neutral automatically. The instrument panel provided no audible alerts of a problem and in relatively small text stated "check electrical system" The brakes and the rest of the car's electronics worked such as turn signals and warning lights. We were able to coast and pull over to shoulder of highway and stop safely, but losing acceleration in middle of highway suddenly was very scary. Car is currently at dealer awaiting to be diagnosed.
My gauges stopped displaying any information outside of the gear selection. I had no Speedometer, or acess to any of my safety features. This has happened twice and gauges will turn on again on the next drive if sufficient time has passed.
Cluster behind the steering wheel was blank, has happen twice within the last 30 days. This is an issue since I had no speedometer and had to use WAZE to guess how fast I was going. It resolved itself after turning off the EV9 for about 45 - 60 mins. First time it happen on Sept 27, 2024, and then it happen again today Oct 21, 2024.
My wife turned on the car after it had been parked for a few hours and the primary instrument cluster display (that contains critical information such as speed) was blank. There was nothing she could do to reenable it. This seems to be the same issue found by many other EV9 owners here: [[redacted]] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
I am reporting a critical safety issue with my KIA EV9. The vehicle's information screen, which displays essential driving data such as vehicle speed, cruise control status, advanced driving system indicators, lights, and signals, has malfunctioned. On two separate occasions, the screen went completely black while driving, leaving all critical driving information inaccessible. This malfunction poses a significant risk to my safety and the safety of others, as I was unable to monitor the vehicle's speed or system...
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status while driving. Availability for Inspection: The malfunctioning component (information screen/system) is available for inspection upon request. Safety Risk: This issue compromised my ability to safely operate the vehicle. Without visibility of the speedometer, driving system indicators, or signal lights, I was unable to monitor crucial driving functions. This increased the risk of speeding unknowingly and reduced my ability to respond to surrounding traffic, creating a dangerous situation on the road. Reproduction of the Problem: The issue has occurred twice. While I have not yet had it reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or service center, I am aware that other KIA EV9 owners have reported the same issue, indicating it is not an isolated case. Inspection by Others: To date, the vehicle has not been inspected by KIA, law enforcement, insurance representatives, or other authorities regard Please find below links to forums and websites where other KIA EV9 shared about this issue. 1- [[redacted]] - [[redacted]] - [[redacted]] - [[redacted]] Here is the video of the incident. [[redacted]] Thank you. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
The screen that shows speed, miles remaining, etc. went black on a long trip. All of the automated cruise control, lane keeping, etc. are also housed in that screen. The blinkers would not work, I had no idea how fast I was going at any time which is unsafe. I could not see how much range is left on the vehicle which I imagine could lead the car just dying while driving or going into the turtle mode with too low of a charge. Also, the adaptive cruise control was not working properly and at one point when a car in...
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front of me moved over out of my lane, the car accelerated hard and brought me up to about what was probably about 90-100mph, not even close to where it was set earlier. 2 hour drive without screen or these safety features and the screen still is not back. I will be taking it into the dealership. This is the second time this screen went out but luckily the first time I was not on a 2 hour work trip/drive and was able to just leave the car in my driveway and use another vehicle.
Vehicle Information: 2024 Kia EV9 Light Long Range Mileage: 850 miles Issue Summary: I am reporting a serious safety concern with my 2024 Kia EV9 Light Long Range. Within the first three weeks of ownership and with less than 900 miles on the odometer, I experienced multiple instances of the vehicle entering "turtle mode" while driving at high speeds on the freeway. This mode significantly reduced the vehicle's speed without warning, creating a dangerous situation. Incident Details: While driving at 80-85 MPH on a...
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California freeway with my family, my 2024 Kia EV9 LLR suddenly entered "turtle mode" without warning, drastically reducing speed to 30-40 MPH. I had to quickly activate hazard lights and navigate to the shoulder. At the time, the battery level was around 15%, and I initially thought it was a low battery issue. However, the following day, after fully charging the vehicle, the issue recurred with approximately 82% battery remaining. Over the next few days, this happened a total of four times while driving at freeway speeds. On the fourth occurrence, the vehicle shut down completely after coming to a stop and would not respond to acceleration until multiple restart attempts. Current Status: The vehicle has been towed to the dealership by Kia Roadside Assistance. The service team is currently investigating the issue and has opened a case with Kia corporate, but no diagnosis has been provided at this time. Given the severity of this recurring issue, I have also opened a buyback/refund request with Kia corporate. Safety Concerns: This defect presents a severe safety risk, as the sudden loss of speed while driving at high speeds on a freeway could easily result in a rear-end collision or other accidents. The inability to accelerate or maintain control over the vehicle creates an extremely dangerous situation, especially in high-traffic environments. I urge the NHTSA to investigate this issue to ensure the safety of other Kia EV9 owners.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) complaints and recalls, checked daily. Complaints are owners' own reports and are not verified. How we use the data