A major quality control oversight has forced Kia to recall nearly 23,000 of its new EV9 electric SUVs in the United States after discovering potentially unsecured rear seats in some vehicles.
The recall affects EV9 models manufactured at Kia's Gwangmyeong plant in South Korea between September 25, 2023, and October 15, 2024. According to documents filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the vehicles may be missing critical mounting bolts for their second and third-row seats.
The issue came to light when a customer reported loose third-row seats in their 2024 EV9. A second similar case prompted Kia to investigate further. The automaker conducted random inspections of 90 imported EV9s but found no additional vehicles with missing seat bolts.
Despite the limited number of confirmed cases, Kia decided to initiate a widespread recall covering all potentially affected vehicles, including those already delivered to customers and units awaiting shipment. An additional inspection of 990 undelivered vehicles revealed no further instances of the problem.
The root cause has been traced to a single assembly line worker who allegedly failed to properly secure the seat mounting bolts. While the exact number of missing bolts remains unspecified, improperly mounted seats pose a serious safety risk, as they could detach during a collision.
As part of the recall remedy, Kia dealerships will conduct thorough inspections of the second and third-row seats on all affected models. Any missing mounting bolts will be installed or tightened at no cost to owners.
Since the manufacturing error did not occur in sequential order, EV9 owners are advised to contact their local Kia dealer to determine if their vehicle requires inspection under this recall.