Kia is recalling 22,883 EV9 electric SUVs because they may be missing mounting bolts for their second- and third row-seats.
The EV9 arrived in the U.S. as a 2024 model and is currently being sold here as a 2025 model. The recall includes a mix of vehicles from both model years that may have left the factory with missing seat bolts due to an error by an assembly-line worker, Kia told the NHTSA. All of the affected vehicles were assembled in South Korea; Kia began building EV9s at its U.S. plant in June, but has only produced small numbers of the SUVs there.
2025 Kia EV9
Without these mounting bolts, seats may not be able to properly restrain occupants in the event of crash, increasing the risk of injury, the safety agency said. Owners may also notice ratting or looseness of the seats if bolts are missing.
Kia estimates that just 1% of the recalled vehicles are missing the bolts in question, and told the NHTSA that it is not aware of any crashes, injuries, or fatalities related to this issue, which was discovered during a quality-control inspection.
2025 Kia EV9
Dealers will inspect the seats and replace any missing bolts free of charge. Kia plans to mail owner notification letters Jan. 24, 2025. In the meantime, owners can contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542 for more information. Kia’s reference number for this recall is SC329.
This recall follows two in October. One addressed a remote parking system issue in 12,400 vehicles from the 2024 model year equipped with that feature. The other addresses a software issue in both 2024 and 2025 models that could cause digital instrument clusters to fail.
