I have a 2022 EV6 GT-Line. At 800 miles, my 12V battery died while I was getting window tinting done. The installer didn’t turn off the car, so we did a quick jump start, and everything worked fine.
Now, 2 years later at 43k miles, the battery died randomly. I jumped it, and it worked, but the next day it died again. After another jump, I replaced it with a Walmart battery since my Kia dealer couldn’t take me in for six days. It’s still under warranty, but I didn’t want to wait that long. Replacing it only took 15 minutes.
Do you think I should be worried about this, or will the new 12V hold up for now?
Sounds like your battery just wore out. Kia batteries don’t have the best reputation.
Keep in mind the 12V warranty usually only covers up to 36,000 miles or three years in the US unless you’ve got an extended warranty. It’s likely not covered anymore.
Since your 12V has been fully discharged at least once, it’s likely damaged permanently. At 2+ years and 43k miles, I’d bet the battery just failed. The dealer can confirm quickly, but it’s probably not covered under warranty now.
If you’ve done all the ICCU recalls, I wouldn’t think it’s the ICCU unless you see signs like a weak 12V or frequent orange dash lights. For now, I wouldn’t worry too much.
@Sidney
Thanks! I was thinking about getting a lithium battery, but I couldn’t wait a few days for delivery, and $400 seemed too much compared to $100.
Ashwin said: @Sidney
Thanks! I was thinking about getting a lithium battery, but I couldn’t wait a few days for delivery, and $400 seemed too much compared to $100.
Ashwin said: @Sidney
Thanks! I was thinking about getting a lithium battery, but I couldn’t wait a few days for delivery, and $400 seemed too much compared to $100.
Kia’s 12V batteries aren’t great. A good third-party lead-acid one should be fine. Lithium is nice but expensive and not really needed if your ICCU is fine. Just don’t leave the car in accessory mode for too long—it’s bad for the 12V.
@Sidney
From my experience, short trips don’t charge the 12V enough. I had frequent orange dash lights, but no 12V or ICCU issues until recently. After my last recall update, my car only lasted seven miles before ICCU errors showed up. Now it’s at the dealer waiting for a new ICCU, fuse, and 12V battery.
I thought I was safe by keeping everything updated, but I guess not.
Sounds like a regular dead 12V. Even in petrol cars, these don’t last much longer than three years. On the EV6, they seem to last closer to two because of how the car uses them.
Mai said:
Sounds like a regular dead 12V. Even in petrol cars, these don’t last much longer than three years. On the EV6, they seem to last closer to two because of how the car uses them.
Jump-starting it was pretty easy with my portable battery jumper. I was able to do it twice, and the jumper still had 100% charge.
Phoenix said: @Ashwin
So with a portable jumper, do you just hook it up, start the car, and go like with a petrol car?
That’s right. Red to positive, black to negative. It only takes a little boost to connect the 12V to the main battery, and then the car works normally.