Won’t go into gear, Brand new 2023 EV6 GT

Just wanted to crowdsource and see if anyone else has had this problem. Bought a new 2023 EV6 GT on Saturday, drove it less than 200 miles, charged it without any issues, and this morning it freaked out. When I start it up, there’s a loud clunk/slapping noise coming from the front left motor area, followed by a ‘Check Vehicle Electrical System’ warning on the dash. The car won’t go into gear.

Tried restarting it a few times, and each time the clunk gets quieter, eventually turning into a repetitive clicking noise like an ignition trying to turn over. The initial noise was loud enough to really startle me.

Two codes popped up on my OBD scanner:

  • P0A65 Drive Motor A Phase W Current High
  • P0C17 Drive Motor A Position Sensor Not Learned

I checked the front vents to make sure nothing was stuck, but had the dealer tow it back. Now I’m debating whether to let them fix it or cancel the sale and get my Stinger back. I was really enjoying the EV6, though.

Anyone had something like this happen?

Sounds like a dead 12V battery. Try jumping or charging it to confirm. If it starts fine afterward, push the dealer to replace the 12V under warranty. It can be a bit of a hassle to get Kia to approve the replacement, but they might do it just to keep the sale.

Did you buy it from a Kia dealer? If so, they should have done the recall software update (SC302) before selling it to you. You might want to check if they did it.

jessicah said:
Did you buy it from a Kia dealer? If so, they should have done the recall software update (SC302) before selling it to you. You might want to check if they did it.

Yeah, technically it was an illegal sale since they didn’t fix the recall before delivering the car. By law, that’s required for new cars in the U.S. That might be why they were quick to offer canceling the sale. Plus, the time for repairs could have put me close to lemon law territory.

The fact that the motor is making that much noise makes me think it’s more serious than just a recall or dead 12V battery. It might be a bad motor, which I haven’t heard of before, but you could be unlucky. Even the GT models should be pretty quiet except for the simulated sounds.

kwame said:
The fact that the motor is making that much noise makes me think it’s more serious than just a recall or dead 12V battery. It might be a bad motor, which I haven’t heard of before, but you could be unlucky. Even the GT models should be pretty quiet except for the simulated sounds.

I had a similar issue, and it turned out to be ‘zombie mode.’ The noise might not be the motor itself but the HV battery connector disconnecting and reconnecting. Kia told me to turn the car off for 15 minutes, walk away far enough so the key fob doesn’t register, and then come back and start it. It worked for me.

Update:

The front left motor is completely shot, and they’re going to have to replace it, which will cost them over $13,000. I ended up canceling the sale, and I’m back in my Stinger GT. There’s another EV6 GT at a different dealer I can get once they complete the ICCU recall, but I’m debating if I should chalk this up to bad luck or be concerned about reliability.