Kia has announced a new recall affecting 12,400 units of its 2024 EV9 in the United States. This recall impacts EV9 GT-Line and Land models built between September 25, 2023, and May 28, 2024, and specifically those equipped with the Remote Smart Parking Assist (RSPA) feature that may have a software defect in the Integrated Electronic Brake (IEB) software.
Transport Canada has not issued a similar recall for the Kia EV9 at this time.
According to the official recall documents posted to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) website, the issue lies within the IEB software, which controls the braking functionality when the RSPA feature is activated. RSPA allows drivers to remotely move their vehicle forward or backward by pressing a button on the key fob, similar to Tesla’s Summon feature.
However, a software error in the IEB may lead to not enough brake pressure being applied when the vehicle is moving at or below 2 mph (3km/h) during RSPA operation. When this happens, the vehicle may not stop as expected while the RSPA feature is in use.
This could potentially lead to accidents, particularly in scenarios where the vehicle is operating in close proximity to pedestrians or obstacles.
To fix the issue, Kia will be providing an IEB software update that will apply high brake pressure under all RSPA braking conditions. Despite the fix being a software update, affected EV9 owners will need to bring their vehicles to a Kia dealership, where the software update will be installed free of charge.
You can read the full NHTSA recall notice below.
