Lemberg Law is investigating consumer complaints that the 2024 Kia EV9 digital instrument cluster display repeatedly fails and goes blank. Many owners report that this has happened multiple times, with no warning. The implications are that, because the panel displays critical information including speed, cruise control status, and advanced driving systems indicators, it is a major safety concern. Additionally, drivers say that it disables turn signals. While Kia America has issued a recall, reports indicate that not all affected vehicles are included.
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What’s the Problem?
Many owners of the new 2024 Kia EV9 find that the primary instrument cluster screen which contains critical information such as speed and other vital driving information, repeatedly goes blank. This is an electrical problem, and it’s interesting to note that by mid-November 2024, about 62% of the complaints to the National Highway Traffic Safety Association (NHTSA) were about the car’s electrical system. Most of these relate to blank instrument panels.
Discussions on various social media channels including Facebook, Reddit, Kia EV Forums, and NHTSA have shared several workarounds that sometimes (but not always) work. For example, some say leaving the car switched off for at least 30 minutes does the trick. Others say it’s important to lock the car while it is switched off, while another theory is that you mustn’t leave the key near the car while it’s off. Another suggestion is to disconnect and then reconnect the battery.
Recall
Complaints appear to have started in August 2024, more than a year after the car was launched in October 2023. The first model of the automaker’s three-row all-electric SUV, the 2024 Kia EV9 is already the recipient of many prestigious awards and accolades. The second model year was launched in the U.S. in October 2024 with only minor color and trim changes.
According to a chronology report issued by the automaker early in October 2024, on August 22, 2024, Kia North America’s Safety Office identified a potential trend of customer complaints “describing portions of the instrument cluster screen intermittently becoming blank.” After investigating the matter, they discovered that an over-the-air (OTA) software update released in August 2024 was to blame. As a result, on October 3, 2024, they decided to conduct a “non-compliance recall” of certain 2024 MY EV9 vehicles and one 2025 MY EV9 vehicle. The Kia number for the recall is SC326.
Dealers were notified on October 10, 2024. They were advised that it is a violation of Federal law for a dealer to deliver a new motor vehicle covered by this notification under a sale or lease until the defect is remedied.
NHTSA Campaign Number 24V757000 published on October 10, states that 14,163 2024-2025 EV9 vehicles are affected. It states, “Due to a software error, the instrument panel screen may fail.” The remedy is for the instrument cluster software to be updated OTA or by a dealer. Owner notification letters were to be mailed on October 25, 2024.
Notably, there is evidence that not all vehicles with the problem are included in the recall.
What Are Owners Experiencing?
Typically owners say that the digital display screen suddenly goes blank for no apparent reason. This usually happens while they are driving, but there is no consistency regarding the speed that they are traveling. A large number of complaints record that this has happened to them at least twice.
Some complaints record that the screen section to the right of the driver instrument panel, including the infotainment screen isn’t impacted. For example, an owner from California states, “When the car is turned on the speedometer display is blank. Further, the indicators of the car do not function as well. The HVAC and info entertainment display work as expected.”
Some owners say that when they turn on the car, the screen doesn’t activate. Here are a few examples of comments:
I turned on my car and the screen did not turn on. I couldn’t see my speed or did not know if my turn signals were actually on or not.
Gauge cluster completely blank after successfully starting the car. Happened twice in two weeks. No speedometer, no battery level, no safety features available, no audible turn signal
As mentioned earlier, some complaints and comments suggest workarounds to rectify the problem. For example:
At present, the only known workaround is to pull over and turn off the vehicle for at least 30 minutes, after which the display typically returns.
If the vehicle is turned off and then allowed to sit for 30-60 minutes, when restarting the vehicle, the condition is cleared.
The issue resolved itself after the vehicle was turned off and sat for a few hours.
But these don’t always work:
I turned the vehicle off and let it sit for ten minutes as suggested in the Kia forum. Still no dashboard indication at all. Blinkers don’t function.
Example NHTSA Complaints
According to an Arizona owner: “Twice in approximately 6 weeks of ownership, when starting the car, the screen that displays the digital instrument panel for the driver has been blank with the exception of a single letter at the bottom of the display that indicates the drive mode of the vehicle (D). While in this state, the vehicle does not have any audio alerts (e.g. turn signal, blind spot warning, etc). Also, due to the screen being blank, the vehicle speed, remaining range of the electrical vehicle, and all other digital gauge data are unable to be seen. The screen portions to the right of the driver instrument panel (radio, android auto, etc.) are displayed when this occurs.”
An owner from California reports that they experienced two serious incidents in their brand-new Kia EV9 where “the instrument cluster/dashboard display has gone completely blank. This occurred once while driving and once immediately after starting the car. The failure is critical because it not only prevents the display of essential information such as speed, but it also disables turn signals, creating an extremely dangerous situation.”
Having turned the EV9 on, “the instrument cluster screen was not working,” states a Pennsylvania owner. “I turned off the car and turned it back on and the screen was still not working.” There was no way “to display my speed on the dash. I turned the car off again for a few minutes and then back on and the instrument cluster screen still did not turn on. I had to go pick up my child from school and so I had to use a 3rd party GPS app to monitor speed and the screen never came back on. The next day I checked and the main gauge cluster screen was working again.”
Faulty EV9 Not Included in Recall
An owner from Michigan complained to the NHTSA on October 28, saying that “while driving at highway speeds with the cruise control activated, the instrument panel went blank.” It sorted itself out, but the vehicle accelerated spontaneously so he deactivated cruise control. “Since the initial instrument panel failure, the failure persisted while driving at various speeds.” While Kia opened a case number, they informed the owner that the vehicle was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V757000 (Electrical System), which was linked to the failure.
Forum Comments
The forum conversation began in August 2024 when a member posted images of a blank screen that has a single P (presumably for Park) at the bottom of the screen. It shows that the infotainment and climate screens are still active. The post states that the “car can actually drive just fine (just no dash to see speed, status, etc. Turn signals work, but no audio. Similarly no “start-up noise” when turning the car on. Plugging into (the) L1 charger, no problems, started charging (and “charging started” sound played as normal). Reset the infotainment system/screen, no change.”
According to its chronology report, Kia couldn’t duplicate the “instrument cluster screen blank condition” between August 30 and September 17. They only confirmed that “the OTA software update was the cause of the instrument cluster screen to intermittently become blank on vehicle start-up,” on October 1.
However, ironically, on August 22, an EV technician advised him to “disconnect the 12V battery terminals for a few minutes and then reconnect them. If the issue persists, it is likely due to a module CAN bus traffic issue that will require professional attention. A soft reboot is only for the second screen. The main screen can experience this bug after OTA updates in the background or not sticking PDI settings before getting to (the) sales floor.”
In September, another forum member reported a blank cluster screen. He said the issue would sometimes resolve itself after leaving the vehicle to sit “for a long time.” He also mentioned another issue. When powering the vehicle on, he was getting a display in Korean! He later added an update, “I disconnected the 12V battery (negative terminal) for 10 minutes. I have not been able to replicate the ‘blank’ screen syndrome. Seems to have fixed the issue.”
Blank Screen? What You Can Do
Lemberg Law has launched a class action investigation into blank instrument panel issues. If you’ve had personal experiences you’d like to share, would like to hear about them. Call our Helpline or fill out a contact form so that we can contact you. We’ll assess your case and determine whether you are eligible to join our new class action investigation.
It’s not going to cost you anything because the law says Kia must pay the legal bills for lemon law cases. Don’t delay.
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."
