Kia has issued a recall for 22,883 EV9 electric SUVs due to a potential safety issue involving missing mounting bolts for the second- and third-row seats.
The affected vehicles include a mix from both the 2024 and 2025 model years, all of which were assembled in South Korea. Kia began production of the EV9 at its U.S. plant in June, but only a small number have been produced there so far.
2025 Kia EV9
If the mounting bolts are missing, the seats may not be able to properly restrain occupants in the event of a crash, increasing the risk of injury. Owners may also notice rattling or looseness of the seats if bolts are missing.
Kia estimates that only 1% of the recalled vehicles are affected by this issue and has not received any reports of crashes, injuries, or fatalities related to it. The problem was discovered during a quality-control inspection.
2025 Kia EV9
Authorized Kia dealers will inspect the seats and replace any missing bolts at no cost to the owners. Kia will be sending out owner notification letters on January 24, 2025. In the meantime, concerned owners can contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542 for further assistance. The recall reference number is SC329.
This is not the first time Kia has recalled the EV9. Previous recalls addressed a remote parking system issue in 12,400 vehicles from the 2024 model year and a software issue in both 2024 and 2025 models that could cause digital instrument clusters to fail.