This really feels to me like KIA found out they have a much larger problem with the battery fire issue, or at least with the BMS recall indicating more vehicles with problems than they anticipated, and now they're trying to figure out their next move (aka least cost to them move).
Possible...
What year and model are you considering? My understanding is these battery issues are restricted to the 1st generation models so up to and including 2018. I'm not aware of any issues like that with the 2nd gen (2019+), however, I don't pay much attention to those as I don't have one.
I have...
Unfortunately the KIA Soul EVs have been somewhat plaqued by failing batteries, and more recently the possibility of a battery fire requiring a recall to replace the BMS and harnesses. The result of the recall for many people has been disabled cars (after the BMS detects a potential problem with...
Last October I had the BMS + harness replacement recall completed on my 2016 Soul EV Luxury (Canadian model with the battery heater). Also, my battery had been replaced or refreshed with refurbished cells back in 2020.
Yesterday I connected my ODBII reader and used SoulSpy to have a look at...
You would never in a million years get a letter that specific and customer focussed from KIA here.
They do say "This could increase the risk of a thermal incident". Thermal incidents sound like something you want to avoid. :)
I think your understanding of cause and effect in this circumstance is suspect. I'm pretty sure that the updated BMS/harnesses that were installed as part of the safety recall will do their best to prevent the conditions that cause the fire in the first place, whether that be by crippling the...
It's probably all of the above. Might be some negotiation happening between KIA and the battery supplier in this case as well, to see how they want to split the costs too.
If I was KIA, I'd be looking at restoring customer goodwill and removing these ongoing problem cars from the road via...
I am learning that it is best to not give KIA any benefit of the doubt. I believe in my car they used a refurbished pack because it was close to being off-warranty due to mileage and thus it made no sense for them to invest in a new pack when battery degradation below 70% wouldn't be their...
Yeah one of my favourite aspects of this car is the ability to "just go" at low speeds and get out in front of the pack. :)
It does seem though that these cars eat gearboxes, unfortunately. It's a single gear-gear box, couldn't be more simple, but I've had to replace mine off warranty and when...
You realize that the reason their battery needs to be replaced after the recall is because it was detected to be at risk of a fire, right? Without the recall your car won't suddenly cripple itself when it detects a problem with the battery, but it may very well ignite.
Here's an original...
The recall installs an upgraded BMS system that over time, can detect "bad cells" in the battery that they've found can lead to serious fires. So after the recall there is a chance at some random point in the future that the new BMS will detect this problem in your battery, THUS SAVING YOU FROM...