Kia’s EV9 Battery Recall Covers Just One SUV — After 16 Owners Reported Failing Packs

Kia’s EV9 battery fire recall, 26V431 (Kia code SC375), covers exactly one 2024 EV9 in the United States, built on October 28, 2023. Kia’s Part 573 report, filed July 2, 2026, lists 8 vehicles in total: seven EV6s and one EV9, all with SK On cells that may have a misaligned electrode, a defect that can short and start a fire. The recall list came from production and supplier records, not from owner reports.

An analysis of NHTSA’s public complaint file, pulled October 28, tells a different story. Sixteen different 2024 EV9 owners had already told federal regulators their high-voltage battery was failing, in complaints filed between November 6, 2024 and February 26, 2026 — out of 210 total complaints on file for the 2024 EV9. Nine of the sixteen reported a dash warning, and nine said they were told not to drive or were towed. Because Kia’s recall population came from supplier records, if your EV9 is one of the sixteen, the recall letter is almost certainly not coming to you.

The caveat matters: owner complaints are unverified, and some may describe a different failure than the misaligned-electrode defect in the recall. The gap is still a legitimate question for regulators, because 603 days passed between the first battery complaint and the recall filing. The practical move for any 2024 EV9 owner with battery warnings, sudden power loss or a tow is to get the failure documented with the dealer and NHTSA now, and to check the VIN — not to assume a recall covers a car that the supplier records missed.