[Ucinn]

I did have iccu replaced and all software updates are done yes your right seems to be a draw on the 12v
Here's another statistics in 18 days parked on my drive way main battery SOC went from 65% to 55% in 18 days figure that one out)🤔

probably from charging that 12V so much... Mine sat for 34 days and 31 days at a time so far and came back to a 1% reduction of the main battery. You definitely have a big draw somewhere.

 

[dc30307]

18 days parked on my drive way main battery SOC went from 65% to 55% in 18 days figure that one out)🤔

10% is a lot. But if we assume 20 minute Aux Battery Saver+ sessions, 20+ times in 18 days, that's 6+ hrs the car was sitting there "on" and charging the 12v. Honestly I wouldn't have expected 10%, but it's not completely surprising.

 

[Rainy days]

Now my car is a taxi so has a fare meter, lighted roof sign, hard wired phone charger and a printer all connected so have a lot going on electrical wise... your probably not surprised i have a draw 😳
At least the car is doing what it should by topping up the 12V
The fact i have an AGM 12v is a plus

 

[dc30307]

Now my car is a taxi so has a fare meter, lighted roof sign, hard wired phone charger and a printer all connected so have a lot going on electrical wise...

Is all that on a switched circuit? I wouldn't expect those things to affect your battery if they're all disconnected when the car is off.

 

[RSA]

This is the 2nd post I've seen showing more than ten sessions, though I do seem to recall data a while back that corroborated the 10x limit mentioned in the manual. I wonder if an update has revised the logic (I would hope so, that logic wasn't very logical). While it's great that it is keeping your 12v maintained properly, I wonder why it's having to do it so frequently while the car is sitting idle? I've found 12v current draw while the car is in sleep mode to be negligible, but yours seems to be losing over 10% SOC per day.

So my understanding of the 10x charge limit is based on failed attempts. That is, the HV system will attempt to top up the 12v repeatedly, however if it fails - the 12v doesn't reach the minimum voltage requirement after the 10th time - that it considers the 12v "dead", will stop charging it and will require a system reset (dealer? battery replacement?) before it will resume normal charging activity. So as long as the HV battery is able to charge the 12v up to the minimum amount, it will perform a normal charge as often as necessary, like @Rainy days chart shows. That seems to be a logical way of doing it, at least to me, but I could be wrong.

 

[dc30307]

So my understanding of the 10x charge limit is based on failed attempts. That is, the HV system will attempt to top up the 12v repeatedly, however if it fails - the 12v doesn't reach the minimum voltage requirement after the 10th time - that it considers the 12v "dead", will stop charging it and will require a system reset (dealer? battery replacement?) before it will resume normal charging activity.

That would certainly make sense, and it may very well be the case. But the verbiage in the manual doesn't mention failed attempts:

If the Aux. Battery Saver+ function activates more than 10 times consecutively, in the Automatic Mode the function will stop activating, judging that there is a problem with the auxiliary battery.

Also, this post seemed to verify the 10x limit. But regardless, there are also (at least now) examples of it working fine beyond ten consecutive activations, so I guess that's progress?

 

[RSA]

That would certainly make sense, and it may very well be the case. But the verbiage in the manual doesn't mention failed attempts:

Also, this post seemed to verify the 10x limit. But regardless, there are also (at least now) examples of it working fine beyond ten consecutive activations, so I guess that's progress?

The wording is a bit vague in both places, but it seems like if all is well it should be able to charge however many times it needs to, up until the 12v won't take a charge anymore. Multiple charges like that in a narrow timeframe would seem to indicate a possible problem on the horizon though.

I remember thinking that this paragraph gives the dealers a hole big enough to drive an EV9 through if they find anything installed that uses the 12v for anything (bold mine):

"The Aux. Battery Saver+ function can- not prevent battery discharge if the auxiliary battery is damaged, worn out, used as a power supply or unauthorized electronic devices are used."

Cannot imagine any EV or ICE vehicle manufacturers getting away with that these days. "Authorized" by whom?!

 

[Rainy days]

More news on ICCU and 12v issues recall

 

[RSA]

So it still makes me wonder, is this really a hardware issue they're trying to manage with another software update? Rhetorical question, but it makes me wonder what the true bottom line might be.

 

[annedevries77]

With my EV6 after almost two years I finally left the lights on and now I have dead battery issues. The first time it started when I didn't understand what the 'auxiliary' mode was and turns on the car so I could charge my phone but when I was done I must have turned it on auxiliary and left the lights on and totally had a dead car after an hour. Fortunately it was unlocked. At first I was scared that I had drained the entire main battery, but finally looked at the book and a simple jump had me up and running. Then a few months later (and these last two weeks) every three days or so my battery will give the Low 12 V warning and the first few times I was able to turn off and on and it would drive. But the third errand I did in one day (short trips) I had to get a jump start. Now it doesn't even give me more than one trip and the warning come up and sometimes it won't start and I had to be jumped twice. Kia put their battery check machines on and said the battery was good. My 2022 has 38,000 miles so they said the battery was out of warranty so I would not get a new one for free or even reduced! They didn't even have a replacement battery in stock. I am getting a little battery jump pack to travel with.

Masterforce™ 800-Amp Lithium-Ion Jump Starter
Ideal for 8 cylinder cars, the MFSL1327 provides a quick jump start in emergencies. This unit offers 800 peak amps of power in a compact case. Plus, it has a USB port for fast charging all USB devices.

www.menards.com
The main battery will charge the 12V when you drive, the book says. I know it must be a Kia issue, like a drain or parasitic load that the Kia service said is hard to work out. Our Lincoln Kia are so busy and don't know EV and they said they welcomed me to go to Omaha to work out what the issue was. So far I am able to work around and I charge the 12V battery at night to make sure it is fully charged.

[UPDATE: My 12V was replaced by Omaha Kia at no charge. They said it was covered by warranty while Lincoln had said it wasn't. So far (with limited stops) the car has not acted glitchy and not started with the 12V low warning. I hope for the best as this was an easy fix.]

 

[twcz3]

update:

I'm still waiting for the refund for the battery. They did take my old battery (core) a week after my first post on here. Since then, the service manager promised to follow up but quit for a new job two months ago. I followed up again a week ago with no progress. I'm considering demanding a new Kia battery as a replacement since it seems unlikely I'll get a refund. Given they took my old battery and I was within the warranty period, only 1.5yrs in, I don't see why I shouldn't receive a new battery to put on my shelf.

Finally got this settled. The dealership wrote me a check. Also looks like applies recall for the ICCU didn't apply to my car cause they replace and reprogrammed last year. I really cant say I haven't any problems since the ICCU replacement and reprograming and the newer better battery.

 

[RSA]

Finally got this settled. The dealership wrote me a check. Also looks like applies recall for the ICCU didn't apply to my car cause they replace and reprogrammed last year. I really cant say I haven't any problems since the ICCU replacement and reprograming and the newer better battery.

Nice that they took care of you.

You received a previous TSB ICCU software update (SC271). The upcoming ICCU recall (SC302) applies to all EV6s in service but it won't be in KIA dealer systems until April 25th. Owner recall letters start going out April 29th.

 

[twcz3]

Nice that they took care of you.

You received a previous TSB ICCU software update (SC271). The upcoming ICCU recall (SC302) applies to all EV6s in service but it won't be in KIA dealer systems until April 25th. Owner recall letters start going out April 29th.

Sounds like maybe were I am at. Ill have to see if it become active after the 25th.

 

[EV4Life]

Like many other owners of the 2022 EV6, I have been having issues with the 12v battery. I've read all of the threads and see various solutions that people have arrived at. Can anyone share their experience with the possible solutions?

1. Warranty replacement of OEM EV6 battery
2. Replacement with aftermarket battery (AGM seems recommended?)
3. Replacement of other components that might be drawing power from 12v
4. Vehicle software update
5. Sign out of Kia Connect / avoid remote commands

My issues started in mid-January, where some of the time I'd get in to start the car and it would report that the 12v battery voltage was low. After needing to jump the car a few times, I got a jumpstarter kit. I took it to a dealership to have the battery tested, and the tech just tested it in the breezeway and said it tested to spec. Of course, this was after a few days of the car not needing to be jumped, but it got bad again a few days later.

I finally got an appointment for a proper diagnostic on the battery. They took the battery out, charged it for a day, then reported that the battery measured fine. They put it back into the car and determined that maybe it wasn't working as expected and replaced the battery with a new OEM. Somewhere along the line a fuse blew, which took another day to replace. Just after they told me that it was ready to pick up, I got a call that apparently the replacement battery that they put in my EV6 had been ordered for another EV6 that had this kind of issue, and they needed to pull it out and give it to the car that had been waiting.

So now the dealer has an order for a replacement battery and has no idea how long it'll take to come in. I convinced them to put the old battery back in and at least let me drive it in the meantime, since jumping the car each drive is better than not having anything to drive at all. However, I'd love to know what actually fixed this issue for you, if you had the problem before. Am I waiting on a battery that isn't going to help anything? Is there something else I need to make sure the dealer knows might be the issue?

Login to your app or go to your infotainment system and set your charging schedule. For some strange reason, my EV6 now charges the 12v battery. I only found this out after buying a new battery on my own. Not happy. Kia needs to do better by us early adopters.

 

[Topher1234]

I’ve also had this issue. 5 charges so far, and I’ve brought it to the dealer three times and they always say the battery is fine and don’t replace it. No help at all. I plan to sell the car because as I see it they have a firmware bug they can’t find and have no idea how long it will take to fix.

 

[RSA]

I’ve also had this issue. 5 charges so far, and I’ve brought it to the dealer three times and they always say the battery is fine and don’t replace it. No help at all. I plan to sell the car because as I see it they have a firmware bug they can’t find and have no idea how long it will take to fix.

Welcome!

So sorry to hear about your battery issue. Although there's plenty of talk about it here and elsewhere, the vast majority of folks are not having any problems of course. It's rare for anyone to show up here or on social media to say that they're doing fine so it may seem like a large, wide-spread problem. That said, the problem is real for you so I'm not here to convince you otherwise.

A number of folks have found that even though the KIA dealer claimed their 12v battery was good, it turned out that it wasn't. It's the same type of battery as those used in ICE vehicles, so you could get it tested for free at most reputable auto parts stores to get a second opinion. That way you'll know if it's just a failing battery or something else.

As you're probably aware, there is a recall to address charging issues, TSB SC302. You should have received a letter from KIA, but if not, the dealer can confirm it in their system. All EV6s (but a minuscule number of brand new 2024s) are part of the recall. The dealer will check for a trouble code (DTC P1A9096) and if it's not present they'll update the Integrated Charging Control Unit (ICCU) software and send you on your way. If the code is present they’ll need to order and replace the ICCU and the ICCU fuse. It's possible that's the issue with yours, but only the dealer can diagnose it. So if you haven't had that done, that's certainly the next step.

You didn't mention what year/trim you have. Our '22 First Edition's battery (manufactured in December 2021) was still going strong when I sold a few weeks ago. The battery in our '23 GT (manufactured in October 2022) is doing fine too. However most here would probably agree that the OE lead acid battery is marginal at best and many folks that have had an issue have simply replaced the battery themselves and haven't had any problems since. Most recommend an AGM battery since they are able to withstand deeper discharge/recharge than basic lead acid batteries. It's a Group 47 H5 battery. When I go to replace ours I'll get an Interstate from Costco, but they're readily available at most auto parts stores, etc. So if your battery is simply failing (and they can do that after multiple deep discharges) that's an option.

However if you believe that the EV6's system is not properly charging the battery after you get the SC302 recall completed, you might want to try another dealer or open a case with KIA corporate. Unfortunately sometimes that's the kick in the pants some dealers need.

KIA Consumer Care Center
800-333-4542

Customer Care Center

ksupport.kiausa.com

I get your frustration, but before giving up, I'd give it a little more effort if you like your EV6 otherwise.

Hope that helps and let us know how it goes.

 

[Winston]

The 12V charging system on the EV6 is kind of badly implemented. The simple version is that the 12V system SHOULD be charging the battery any time the car is on, and recharging it on its own any time the 12V battery discharges down to 80%. The system that recharges at 80% is called "Aux Battery Saver+" and it has this braindead stupid logic where, if it has to do that 10 times in a row since last the car was "on", it just blindly assumes the battery is faulty and stops EVER recharging it.

The car has lots of different power states: On, READY, accessory, off, of course. But then in sleep there are a few different modes. There's a light sleep where a few modules are on and self-monitoring, and the car phones home to Kia with state info every so often (90min, educated guess). This mode drains 12V power corresponding to "one top up per day" from ABS+. There's at least one lower power mode where the car draws less power (one top up every few days), and I THINK a power mode lower than that where the car is so shut down it won't respond to commands over the cell modem, and might as well be completely unpowered except that you can still unlock and start it no problem.

Any time you force-update the app or issue another command to the car like "unlock", it'll poke it back into that high-power sleep mode, which is why the manual says "don't use the app too much or you might cause excessive accessory battery drain."

My guess for what happened to your car: For whatever reason, there was a lot of 12V demand. Maybe you/someone used the app a lot or left the door ajar or something. The car sat for a while, maybe a few days, or maybe you just drove it for so little time the 12V didn't appreciably recharge, and ABS+ had to activate 10 times in a row. In my experience, this would have taken at least 10 or 15 days of non-driving. Once ABS+ had activated 10x, it never activated again, and now your car's in a situation where the 12V battery might drain all the way dead over the course of like 5 days.

Every time you had to jump the car, that was a fully-dead 12V battery, which was probably damaing itself via "sulfation" for the druation of its fully-dead time. My car did this sitting on the dealership lot waiting on an amp, and didn't get moved for around 40 days, so the 12V had been flat for probably 20 of those and had time to sulfate to the point where it required replacement, which they did under warranty.

Since I figured out why the car was regularly getting poked into high-power sleep (configuration issue with my Home Assistant setup), I haven't had to jump it again, but the telemetry I collect suggests ABS+ is still working unreliably for me. Just not so unreliably I've been bitten.

So long story short:
1) If you never touch the app, close all the doors all the way, don't frequently unlock the car (or leave the key nearby in the garage, etc), and the car can go to sleep correctly, the 12V system will work fine indefinitely like any other car you've ever had.
2) If you poke the car awake by issuing commands from the app, or if you unlock/relock without driving a lot like walking past it without getting in, or etc etc, there are a handful of ways the 12V system can fall into a pit of despair where it's much more likely to go flat on you.
3) Diagnosing what's specifically gone wrong with your exact scenario is quite hard and dealership techs rarely have a clue how to do it, or any inclination to try.
4) I don't actually have any clue how to reset a triggered ABS+ system that thinks the battery is faulty, but (educated guess) replacing and registering a new battery with the diagnostic tool probably does it, and disconnecting the battery and leaving it for half an hour seems not to. So getting a warranty replacement 12V is very likely to improve your experience even though the 12V battery isn't the root cause of the issues.

Thanks for this really awesome post. It's definitely the problem I've been having. I walk my dog three times a day and have my keys and my coat sometimes. I am also lazy and I've been issuing commands left and right, to lock the door, turn on AC, take a picture or stupid s*** like that I need to cut all that out cuz I've had to jump my car every other week it seems. it's a 2023 EV6.

 

[RSA]

Thanks for this really awesome post. It's definitely the problem I've been having. I walk my dog three times a day and have my keys and my coat sometimes. I am also lazy and I've been issuing commands left and right, to lock the door, turn on AC, take a picture or stupid s*** like that I need to cut all that out cuz I've had to jump my car every other week it seems. it's a 2023 EV6.

Welcome! 👋

To be honest it should be able to do all of that and then some IMHO. The combination of a mediocre 12v OE battery and a HV charging system that doesn’t seem to be able to keep it fully charged 24/7 is one of the few weaknesses of our otherwise terrific vehicles. We have a huge edge over ICE vehicles that are only able to charge their 12v when they’re running. That edge being a big HV battery at our disposal. It seems like they’re making progress in that respect though. Hopefully things will continue to improve.

 

[10cc]

I have recently been hit with the 12V battery drain issue. My EV6 is approximately 10 months old. The only modification is the installation of a Blackvue dual dash cam system with the additional Blackvue battery pack. This was installed around 9 months ago by a professional installer recommended by my local Kia main dealer (EMG Kia Cambridge). I don’t use any third party apps to communicate with the car.

I have not had a single issue with my car until recently. I was away on holiday from Friday 7th - Friday 21st June. The car was sat on a hotel car park for that fortnight. On my return from holiday there were no issues and I made the 124 mile journey home without incident.

On Saturday 22nd June I made a 14 mile round trip to go food shopping, again with no issues.

On Monday evening 24th June I plugged my car in to charge it over night on my Intelligent Octopus Go cheap tariff as I only had 35 miles of range left in the car. On checking the car the following morning it had not charged! I tried both key fobs and neither would even unlock the car. I used the key from one of the fobs to unlock the driver’s door. Once inside I discovered that it was as dead as a Dodo!

Mid morning I logged a call with Kia Assist (the RAC) online - could not do it by speaking to a real person - don’t get me started on that one - and was given a time slot of 2.40 - 6.40PM! Mid afternoon I got a call from the RAC asking if they could attend the next day as they were “snowed under” with breakdown calls (as my car was on my drive and not broken down on the roadside). As it’s obviously more important to attend roadside breakdowns I agreed to this even though I am self employed and would be losing even more money.

The engineer arrived mid morning on Wednesday 25th and said he had been thinking about this issue on his way to me and that the 12V battery was probably drained. He checked it and it was at 3V! He “jump charged” it and the car responded to the key fobs and started.

He checked the battery again with the car started then with it off and there was an approximate drain on the battery of 9 Amps with the car switched off. He could not explain this and suggested that maybe this would stop once the car had shut down properly and “gone to sleep”. His checks concluded that the battery was faulty and he advised that I drive the car to a main dealer ASAP. At this point the RAC engineer left.

As my preferred main dealer (EMG Kia Cambridge) was 34 miles away and I only had 35 miles of range I obviously wanted to charge the battery a little to make sure I got there. I plugged the car into my home charger and tried to start a charge from the Kia Connect app. It would not start. I tried both key fobs and once again the car was completely dead!

I logged a second call online with the RAC and then I telephoned them also and somehow managed to speak to a human being after waiting around 30 minutes on hold. I was told they could get an engineer to me in around an hour but in the meantime to call all my local Kia dealerships to see who had a battery and who could do the work the quickest.

I telephoned Donald’s Kia in Bury St Edmunds and was told their spare battery had just been used in another Ev6 with the same issue and that they couldn’t even start the work that week. They informed me that there was a “newish” dealer close to me, EMG Kia Thetford. I contacted them and they had 2 batteries in stock but a long line of cars waiting to be looked at. They suggested I call Donald’s Kia back and see if they would take one of their spare batteries as they have vehicles running between the two sites daily. I did this but was told that Donald’s Kia could not take spare parts from EMG Kia Thetford because they were different dealership groups - can’t make it up can you?

I then telephoned EMG Kia Cambridge (where I bought the car from - who are 34 miles away and if you remember I only had 35 miles of range), who said they had 2 batteries in stock and could look at my car as a matter of urgency.

I telephoned the RAC, waited a long time on hold and told my story for the 100th time and was told an engineer would be with me within the hour. As promised the same engineer that I had seen on the first visit duly returned. He immediately took my 12V battery off my car and fitted a spare from his van. This meant the car started straight away and I was able to start charging the main traction battery straight away. While this was happening he “jump charged” my battery (sat on the footpath) from his van.

I got enough charge into the traction batteries, he put my own 12V battery back on my car and I got to EMG Kia Cambridge late on the Wednesday afternoon 26th June without further issues.

At some point during one of my conversations with a Kia main dealer (can’t honestly remember which one) I was asked if I had had a factory recall letter regarding 12V battery drain issues - I had not! Apparently there is a software update to fix this issue.

EMG Kia Cambridge telephoned me quite early on the Friday morning 28th June and said my car was ready for collection. I was told that the battery was actually ok and that it was just the software issue that was the problem. What fantastic service from them, technically fixed in one day!!

I must also say that the two other Kia main dealers, whilst they could not repair my car quickly, were extremely helpful on the telephone.

It’s only been a short time since the software update but so far so good!

I am still at a loss to understand how, after 10 months of being faultless this should suddenly happen. What is even more mystifying is that the car worked fine after 2 weeks sat on a hotel car park and then had a 124 mile run home from the hotel car park on our return from holiday. ( which you would have thought would have made sure the 12V battery was fully charged)………..???

No other software updates had been installed for sometime before this incident ( I think we all know that sometimes software updates fix one issue but give you another one).

I should also point out that at no time did I have any warning lights on the dashboard!

Ironically, on my return from collecting the car from the main dealers……In that day’s post was……the Kia recall letter! Again you couldn’t make it up could you?

As I am self employed, I couldn’t go to work on the Tuesday morning as I was logging the call and waiting for (hopefully) an update on an engineer arriving that morning. I, of course, had no idea at this point that they would give me a time slot of much later that day, never mind it eventually being the next day.

I could not go to work on the Tuesday afternoon as I was waiting for the engineer to arrive (following a later text message with a time slot).

I could not go to work on the Wednesday morning as I was waiting for the engineer to arrive and then driving my car to the main dealer.

I could not work Friday morning as I was collecting the car from Cambridge. This slightly modified “story book” will also be sent to Kia for hopefully some reimbursement of lost wages!

 

[RSA]

I have recently been hit with the 12V battery drain issue. My EV6 is approximately 10 months old. The only modification is the installation of a Blackvue dual dash cam system with the additional Blackvue battery pack. This was installed around 9 months ago by a professional installer recommended by my local Kia main dealer (EMG Kia Cambridge). I don’t use any third party apps to communicate with the car.

I have not had a single issue with my car until recently. I was away on holiday from Friday 7th - Friday 21st June. The car was sat on a hotel car park for that fortnight. On my return from holiday there were no issues and I made the 124 mile journey home without incident.

On Saturday 22nd June I made a 14 mile round trip to go food shopping, again with no issues.

On Monday evening 24th June I plugged my car in to charge it over night on my Intelligent Octopus Go cheap tariff as I only had 35 miles of range left in the car. On checking the car the following morning it had not charged! I tried both key fobs and neither would even unlock the car. I used the key from one of the fobs to unlock the driver’s door. Once inside I discovered that it was as dead as a Dodo!

Mid morning I logged a call with Kia Assist (the RAC) online - could not do it by speaking to a real person - don’t get me started on that one - and was given a time slot of 2.40 - 6.40PM! Mid afternoon I got a call from the RAC asking if they could attend the next day as they were “snowed under” with breakdown calls (as my car was on my drive and not broken down on the roadside). As it’s obviously more important to attend roadside breakdowns I agreed to this even though I am self employed and would be losing even more money.

The engineer arrived mid morning on Wednesday 25th and said he had been thinking about this issue on his way to me and that the 12V battery was probably drained. He checked it and it was at 3V! He “jump charged” it and the car responded to the key fobs and started.

He checked the battery again with the car started then with it off and there was an approximate drain on the battery of 9 Amps with the car switched off. He could not explain this and suggested that maybe this would stop once the car had shut down properly and “gone to sleep”. His checks concluded that the battery was faulty and he advised that I drive the car to a main dealer ASAP. At this point the RAC engineer left.

As my preferred main dealer (EMG Kia Cambridge) was 34 miles away and I only had 35 miles of range I obviously wanted to charge the battery a little to make sure I got there. I plugged the car into my home charger and tried to start a charge from the Kia Connect app. It would not start. I tried both key fobs and once again the car was completely dead!

I logged a second call online with the RAC and then I telephoned them also and somehow managed to speak to a human being after waiting around 30 minutes on hold. I was told they could get an engineer to me in around an hour but in the meantime to call all my local Kia dealerships to see who had a battery and who could do the work the quickest.

I telephoned Donald’s Kia in Bury St Edmunds and was told their spare battery had just been used in another Ev6 with the same issue and that they couldn’t even start the work that week. They informed me that there was a “newish” dealer close to me, EMG Kia Thetford. I contacted them and they had 2 batteries in stock but a long line of cars waiting to be looked at. They suggested I call Donald’s Kia back and see if they would take one of their spare batteries as they have vehicles running between the two sites daily. I did this but was told that Donald’s Kia could not take spare parts from EMG Kia Thetford because they were different dealership groups - can’t make it up can you?

I then telephoned EMG Kia Cambridge (where I bought the car from - who are 34 miles away and if you remember I only had 35 miles of range), who said they had 2 batteries in stock and could look at my car as a matter of urgency.

I telephoned the RAC, waited a long time on hold and told my story for the 100th time and was told an engineer would be with me within the hour. As promised the same engineer that I had seen on the first visit duly returned. He immediately took my 12V battery off my car and fitted a spare from his van. This meant the car started straight away and I was able to start charging the main traction battery straight away. While this was happening he “jump charged” my battery (sat on the footpath) from his van.

I got enough charge into the traction batteries, he put my own 12V battery back on my car and I got to EMG Kia Cambridge late on the Wednesday afternoon 26th June without further issues.

At some point during one of my conversations with a Kia main dealer (can’t honestly remember which one) I was asked if I had had a factory recall letter regarding 12V battery drain issues - I had not! Apparently there is a software update to fix this issue.

EMG Kia Cambridge telephoned me quite early on the Friday morning 28th June and said my car was ready for collection. I was told that the battery was actually ok and that it was just the software issue that was the problem. What fantastic service from them, technically fixed in one day!!

I must also say that the two other Kia main dealers, whilst they could not repair my car quickly, were extremely helpful on the telephone.

It’s only been a short time since the software update but so far so good!

I am still at a loss to understand how, after 10 months of being faultless this should suddenly happen. What is even more mystifying is that the car worked fine after 2 weeks sat on a hotel car park and then had a 124 mile run home from the hotel car park on our return from holiday. ( which you would have thought would have made sure the 12V battery was fully charged)………..???

No other software updates had been installed for sometime before this incident ( I think we all know that sometimes software updates fix one issue but give you another one).

I should also point out that at no time did I have any warning lights on the dashboard!

Ironically, on my return from collecting the car from the main dealers……In that day’s post was……the Kia recall letter! Again you couldn’t make it up could you?

As I am self employed, I couldn’t go to work on the Tuesday morning as I was logging the call and waiting for (hopefully) an update on an engineer arriving that morning. I, of course, had no idea at this point that they would give me a time slot of much later that day, never mind it eventually being the next day.

I could not go to work on the Tuesday afternoon as I was waiting for the engineer to arrive (following a later text message with a time slot).

I could not go to work on the Wednesday morning as I was waiting for the engineer to arrive and then driving my car to the main dealer.

I could not work Friday morning as I was collecting the car from Cambridge. This slightly modified “story book” will also be sent to Kia for hopefully some reimbursement of lost wages!

Wow! What a story!

Forgive me as I got lost along the way, but it sounds like they never replaced your original battery? If that's the case, the first thing I would do is buy a good quality AGM battery (H5 Group 47) and install it. Dead-simple DIY. If not the odds are overwhelming that it will happen again no matter what updates have been performed. Even if they did replace it with another KIA lead-acid battery I'd still install a new (non-KIA) 12v AGM battery. Inexpensive insurance and peace of mind.

Good on 'ya for being such a saint. Doubt I'd have that kind of patience.