Kia Issues Urgent Recall for Electric Vehicles With Defective Driveshafts
Kia is recalling some electric vehicles due to a serious safety problem. Driveshafts on some Kia Niro EV and EV6 models are faulty and could break under stress, which can be greatest when driving on the highway. This new Kia recall affects a small number of new electric vehicles.
What caused driveshafts to be part of this Kia recall?
The NHTSA safety recall report from January 31 shows some Kia EVs have faulty driveshafts. These parts weren’t properly heat treated by the supplier and could break while on the road. If these driveshafts break, the vehicle could lose propulsion, resulting in a dangerous situation that could end in a collision and potentially death.
How many vehicles does this recall affect?
InsideEVs tells us that 1,243 Kia electric vehicles in the United States are potentially involved in this recall. This includes 1,039 Kia EV6 models built between January 26 and April 8, 2023. It also includes 204 Kia Niro EV models built between June 27 and July 13, 2023. Kia must replace the faulty driveshafts on these new electric vehicles.
Impacted Kia EV6 models requireinspection of the rear inner driveshaft and potentially replaced. The problem resides in the front left driveshaft for the Kia Niro EV.
A slight problem adds to this recall
Most of the time, vehicles subject to recall are assembled in VIN order, can be recalled together. That’s not the case for this Kia recall. That’s not the case for these Kia EVs. This means consumers must refer to Kia’s Customer Care Center or visit a Kia dealer to get more information regarding this recall.
Authorized service centers will replace the part free of charge. The Kia EV6 part number is 49560-GI000, while the Niro EV part number is 49500-AO000.
