On September 2, Kia Corporation, headquartered in Korea, notified Kia North America of an overseas incident involving an EV9, the automaker’s fully-electric SUV. The vehicle was in Remote Smart Parking Assist (RSPA) mode, a feature that allows the driver to operate the car remotely.

During the reported incident, the EV9 collided with a parked car. The subject vehicle was only going 2 mph. Kia Corp. performed additional testing and confirmed that in certain scenarios, RSPA doesn’t apply proper brake pressure. 

Testing revealed that in RSPA mode, repeatedly stopping at very low speeds – around 2 mph – prompts the Integrated Electronic Brake (IEB) software to use “light braking” instead of appropriate braking pressure. This software “quirk” increases stopping distance and could cause preventable collisions with nearby objects.

Despite no record of similar events or injuries in the U.S. market, the Kia North America Safety Office opted to submit a recall for the 12,400 EV9 units here. Kia produced them between September 25, 2023, and May 28, 2024.

The recall estimates that 100% of the 12,400 EV9s have the defect since the issue is software-related.

The updated software will apply high brake pressure in all RSPA braking conditions.

Kia EV9 owners will receive letters in October notifying them of the recall. Kia will cover the cost of software updating. EV9s built after May 28, 2024 already include the newer IEB software.