South Korean automaker Kia, through its American arm, has launched a safety recall involving 1,243 EV6 and Niro electric vehicles over faulty drive shaft issues that caused loss of drive power.
Main issue
Per the letter to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the component in jeopardy was the power train of certain Kia EV6 and Niro models.
Kia’s supplier may have “improperly heat-treated” one of the drive shafts of the affected vehicles. It breaks under load, causing drive power loss and increasing the risk of a crash.
“Due to a manufacturing error by the supplier, the left hand drive shaft in the subject Niro EV vehicles and rear inner drive shaft in the subject EV6 vehicles may have been improperly heat-treated. An improperly heat-treated drive shaft may break under load resulting in a loss of motive power.”
Defect Notice 573 Report
Recall coverage
The number of potentially involved Kia electric vehicles is 1,234 units, while the estimated percentage of defects is only 1%.
The first model included in the recall is the 2023-2024 Kia Niro EV produced between June 27, 2023 and July 13, 2023 (204 units).
It also covers the 2023-2023 Kia EV6 produced from January 26, 2023, to April 8, 2023 (1,039 units).
Fortunately, Kia has not yet recorded any crash or injury reports associated with the drive power loss issue.
Kia’s solution
As a safety measure, Kia America assigned its dealers to replace the defective drive shafts with new, properly heat-treated ones. The replacement and service fee will be free of charge.
Therefore, owners must bring their electric vehicles to Kia dealers to receive the repair.
Kia will also reimburse owners for repair expenses already incurred under their General Reimbursement Plan filed on May 10, 2022.
Kia America plans to release owner notifications through the mail by March 9, 2024. Before that, the South Korean automaker will first notify dealers on February 5, 2024.
Affected owners can also contact the brand’s customer service at 1-800-333-4542 with SC295 as the recall number. They can also connect with the NHTSA hotline at 1-888-327-4236 or visit nhtsa.gov for 24V-057 campaign-related concerns.
