2022-2023 Kia EV6 Charging Problems

CLICK NOW FOR >> FREE LEGAL HELPCLICK NOW FOR >> FREE LEGAL HELP

Updated on Author: Sergei Lemberg

Updated on Author: Sergei Lemberg

Lemberg Law is investigating complaints that owners are not able to fast-charge their 2022-2023 Kia EV6 vehicles with Level 2 home chargers. Additionally, owners are complaining that their 12-volt batteries lose power when charging and that chargers shut down indicating a short-circuit.

Don’t be stuck with a lemon. You have legal rights to cash, return or buyback.

The law makes Kia pay legal fees.

We've fixed thousands of lemon problems. Message or call 877-795-3666 today.

Is There a Problem with the 2022-2023 Kia EV6?

Owners of 2022 and 2023 Kia EV6 vehicles are reporting major problems relating to charging their 12-volt batteries. The car is advertised as being capable of 48 or 50 amp Level 2 charging, but in reality, the level is substantially reduced.

The initial problem is that when owners charge their EV6 vehicles at home, many of them get “charge interrupted” messages and the charger stops charging. Some report restarting via the app as many as 3-4 times.

While the expectation is that they can charge at 48, even 50 amps, typically it fails at 40 amps and users are forced to reduce to 36 amps. And it only gets worse.

Some owners have lodged complaints with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Many more have joined Kia EV Forums in an endeavor to find answers from fellow Kia EV6 owners.

Complaints to the NHTSA

There aren’t many complaints lodged with the NHTSA, but they tell the story. Some dealers identify problems, others tell owners they can’t help.

For example, an owner who reported multiple failures attempting to charge on AC 220-volt current at both 9 and 8kW was told by the dealer that there was a fault. The NHTSA complaint states that the dealer said “there is a fault where the battery management system or charging system is overheating that causes the vehicle to stop charging.”

But another dealer told another owner that there was no problem when he wasn’t able to charge the EV6 at 40 amps or higher with a Level 2 charger. When charging at home, the owner is notified that “charging has been interrupted.” After checking the Kia forums and discovering that other owners have the same problem, he took his vehicle to the dealership. But they said there weren’t any issues. When the problem recurred, he went back to the dealer. After 3 days, they said it was fixed. But it wasn’t.

Charger Draws Excessive Current

An owner from Florida complained in February 2023 that the on-board charge controller on the EV6 was “drawing excessive current from my Level 2 EVSE portable charger. When my charger is set to 24 amps maximum the car will draw 28 to 30 amps, causing the charger to shutdown and report a short-circuit has been detected. When my charger is set to 40 amps, about an hour into charging, the car will draw 46.6 amps again causing the charger to shut down and indicate a short-circuit. My understanding of the Level 2 charging standard is that the charger tells the vehicle its current setting, and the vehicle is not supposed to draw more current than the charger tells it.”

This owner states that because the charger draws more power than it should when used with the Kia EV6, this is a major safety issue that could cause a fire. He adds that the same charger doesn’t draw excess power when used with other vehicles.

“Kia hasn’t indicated any willingness to fix the problem and they don’t seem to be treating it with the seriousness it deserves. I took my car to the dealer and they grudgingly applied the only Level 2 software update they had, but it has not made any difference in the problem. Now they say there is nothing else they can do.”

2022-2023 Kia EV6 Complaint Summary

Complaint CategoryNumber of Complaints
Electrical System
109
109
Unknown Or Other
26
26
Fuel/propulsion System
21
21
Power Train
16
16
Service Brakes
14
14
Exterior Lighting
9
9
Engine
7
7
Structure:body
6
6
Vehicle Speed Control
5
5
Forward Collision Avoidance: Warnings
4
4

What Does Kia Say About EV6 Charging Capacity?

Kia states that as its first dedicated EV, the Kia EV6 enables ultra-fast DC charging capability from a 10-80% charge (up to 217 miles range) in under 18 minutes. This assessment is based on Kia Motor Corporation’s test with an SAE International J1772 charger.

It also boasts the world’s first patented multi-charging system supporting 400- and 800-volt DC charging working on DC chargers with speeds ranging from 50kW to 350kW.

According to the Kia media website, 800-volt DC fast charging from a 350-kW charger allows:

  • Nearly 70 miles added in less than 5 minutes
  • Up to 217 miles (10-80%) added in under 18 minutes
  • 11kW on-board charger (OBC) for Level 2 recharging from 10-100% in 7 hours
  • 10 minutes (240v AC, at 40-amps) for the larger 77.4 kWh battery versions

But what does this mean for owners?

What Other Charging Problems are 2022-2023 Kia EV6 Owners Experiencing?

The charging problems that 2022-2023 Kia EV6 owners are experiencing are similar to those that 2022-2023 Hyundai Ioniq 5 owners are describing. While most owners are able to charge at the full 48 amps for the first few months of ownership, Level 2 charging starts to fail.

A telling comment from a Kia EV Forums member says he thinks the Kia EV6 rapid charging numbers look good on paper. But, “in reality the technology is not there yet.” He also has a problem with Level 2 charging. “We charge another EV in the garage without ever having this glitch. I called my local KIA dealer and they act as if they have not heard of this. Like so many other little annoyances with this fine driving EV, it looks like the best solution is to restart it. Lowering amps to 32 will be a pretty slow charge.”

Many other members of the forum agree or have similar comments to share.

More concerning is that many have had more failed charging issues since Kia issued a technical service bulletin (TSB) in January 2023.

About the TSB Solution

In January 2023 Kia issued a TSB aimed at improving the “software logic” of the 2022-2023 EV6 Vehicle Charging Management System (VCMS). It was to overcome high-voltage battery (HVB) charging issues caused by “excessive high temperatures at the combo charger inlet module assembly.” A second TSB was issued for the 2023 GT model in May 2023.

In both instances, the instruction is: “This upgrade must be conducted based on a customer’s complaint.” But many customers are convinced that the upgrade has been implemented without their consent, and with negative effects. Others who did consent to the update say it didn’t work.

Does the TSB Solution Work?

A member of the Kia EV Forums tells how the TSB “only half fixed the problem, by slowing the charging significantly.” The problem started after having been able to “charge at the full 48 amps until after about 4 months of being new, and just before I reached 5,000 miles. Then the Level 2 home charging began to fail about an hour or so after starting, eventually every time I tried charging.”

The TSB solution didn’t help but rather exacerbated the problem.

“The car was advertised to be capable of 50 amp Level 2 charging, and although I love the car, I am not satisfied with the reduced charging level. The highest rate I can charge at now with my Leviton 48 amp charger is 36 amps. I achieve this level by setting the charger at 40 amps, and changing the setting to ‘reduced’ in the car, which actually nets around 35 amps. With the outside temp near 80F, the AC inlet temp maxed out around 192F.”

Other owners have similar, sometimes shorter stories.

“I have had the TSB update. It didn’t work! I still have charging interruptions. I have to adjust the kW down to avoid the interruption.”

Another forum member who had experienced “all the failed charging issues,” states that the TSB stopped these errors “and allowed the car to continue charging. However this is not a fix as it seems that all the software change does is throttle the charging speed down low enough to not create the problem.” Not only does it not fix the problem, it also makes the charger handle too hot to touch.

What Should You Do if Your 2022-2023 Kia EV6 has a Charging Problem?

A huge number of Kia EV6 owners appear to be experiencing charging problems. In certain circumstances, recurring issues can qualify as vehicle as a lemon.

Do you think your Kia EV6 might be a lemon? If you do, it’s a good idea to ask a lemon law firm to evaluate your problems. This is something that Lemberg Law will do free of charge.

Every year auto manufacturers are forced to replace, buy back, or pay cash settlements to thousands of lemon owners. All you need to do is call our Helpline or fill out a contact form right now and we’ll do what we can to help you. The law says that Kia must pay the legal bills for lemon law cases, so it’s not going to cost you.

Sergei Lemberg

About the Author:

Sergei Lemberg is an attorney focusing on consumer law, class actions related to automotive issues, and personal injury litigation. With nearly two decades of experience, his areas of practice include Lemon Law (vehicle defects), Debt Collection Harassment, TCPA (illegal robocalls and texts), Fair Credit Reporting Act, Overtime claims, Personal Injury cases, and Class Actions. He has consistently been recognized as the nation's "most active consumer attorney." In 2020, Mr. Lemberg represented Noah Duguid before the United States Supreme Court in the landmark case Duguid v. Facebook. He is also the author of "Defanging Debt Collectors," a guide that empowers consumers to fight back against debt collectors and prevail, as well as "Lemon Law 101: The Laws That Lemon Dealers Don't Want You to Know."

See more posts from Sergei Lemberg
10 COMMENTS
  • Mirage Z

    I can’t DC charge. It fails every time. How do people take road trips with this car? I’ve had it 6 months and it charges fine at my house but this thread has me worried. I am going to the dealer this week for a recall update. These are major concerns.

  • Jonathan T

    I also have a 50amp level 2 Charger. I can not charge with zero interruption unless I am at 60% which is like 7kw. Anything more and the charger keeps cutting off. I addressed the issue with the dealer and they acted like it was my chargers that was the issue. I have 2 Autel chargers and it does it on both chargers.

  • Jim J

    My Kia Niro EV 2023 is experiencing the same issue. When charging with 32 AMPS there is no problem. When charging above 40 AMPS it charges for about two hours then starts the incessant charging interrupted messages. It restarts the charger and then a minute later it halts it again.

  • Larry W

    Charging Interruption. (Please note phone is relay # and can’t be texted. Thanks as I’m hearing impaired.)

  • Anthony P

    While I LOVE my 2023 EV6 GT-Line, I recently started having charging problems after my 6th month of ownership (and only 3100 miles). I have a 50 Amp outlet that was installed in my garage when I had my Tesla & was getting 7.7kw until about 2 weeks ago when it began taking forever to charge. I finally remembered to look today & its only charging at 3.7kw! No settings have been changed & I checked all to be sure. Set for Max current to 80% charge. As far as I know, I don’t have the Jan update, unless the dealer did it before I picked up the car in late March (which I doubt since the 3 dead battery issues I had they had no answer & no solution for). I first realized there was an issue when I played at a golf course I’ve been to several times & it took over 5 hours to charge when previously it was less than half that time. Today, went 5 miles & plugged in & it took 30 minutes. Haven’t brought it back to dealer but will very soon.

  • Clay R

    I have a 2022 Kia EV6. I love everything about it except the terrible problem of charging at home with a Level 2 Juice Box. It charged fine at home for the first 4-6 months. After that, it will constantly stop charging after 5 or 15 minutes causing us to have to stay up all night sending charge commands to the car with the app praying that we can get enough charge to get to work and home again the next day. The car has been to the dealer a few times regarding the problem and they do things but the problem still persists. I want to love this car but this problem is making me sick.

  • Gilbert S

    Hello,
    My 2022 Kia EV6 is not charging with my home charger. I had a Charge Point Home Charger I replaced it a couple of times thinking it was the charger and all tests were ran remotely and the issue did not resolve. I just replaced my Charge Point today with the FPL Evolution Charger and the Charge Pros and the issue was not resolved either. It starts charging but it immediately says “Charge Interrupted”
    I went to Hollywood Kia a few weeks ago and the EV Tech told me it could be something related to the Electrical Voltage or something, in fact I don’t know what else to do as everyone tells me it’s not their problem. I need help.

  • John B

    I have a 2022 EV6 and the charging interuption problem is a total pain. I can’t use it above 60% except when on a commercial level 2 charger.

  • Heather W

    My Kia Niro EV 2023 recently started abruptly ending the charge. I have to restart it 3 or 4 times at home just to get half a charge. It’s beyond frustrating. And it just started around the 7k mile mark.

  • patricia r

    I’m having problems charging my EV 6 2023

Leave a Reply or Comment

Write a comment below to share online. Or, instead you can to our legal team.

warning icon Please select your star rating.

warning icon Briefly describe your experience

warning icon What’s your name?

warning icon What’s your phone number?

Want to know if you could sue? Get a free legal evaluation from Lemberg Law?

Get Your No-Obligation
Case Evaluation

Send a secure message to our legal team.

Your Info Was Received

Thank you for requesting your free case evaluation. One of our staff members will call you shortly.

In the meantime, you are welcome to call us right away at 855-301-2100. We look forward to working with you to resolve your legal issues.

We need a little more info to start your case review.
Please fill in the red fields above.
warning iconWhat’s your name?
warning iconWhat’s your email address?
warning iconWhat’s your phone number?
warning iconBriefly describe the problem
Confidentiality Guarantee: We keep your information completely confidential and will not send you spam or sell your information.
By submitting above, I agree to the privacy policy and terms and consent to be contacted by an agent via phone call or text message at the phone number(s) listed above, including wireless number(s).