Car stuck in turtle mode after update… anyone else?

Woke up to a ‘check electrical system’ warning and found the car stuck in turtle mode this morning. It drove fine last night, and the only sign of trouble came after I remote-started it to warm the cabin. Got a charge error notification then.

Car has 15,900 miles and just had the recall update last weekend. Kia roadside assistance sent a tow truck, and it’s now headed to the dealership.

This seems so random. I kept up with all my updates, but I still had the ICCU failure. Left my car in the garage for three weeks over Christmas with no issues. People try to figure out patterns between ICCU failures, updates, charging speeds, etc., but there doesn’t seem to be a clear connection.

@Conley
That’s exactly what’s so frustrating. There’s no consistent explanation from the forum or even from Hyundai/Kia themselves.

Zaire said:
@Conley
That’s exactly what’s so frustrating. There’s no consistent explanation from the forum or even from Hyundai/Kia themselves.

Has anyone had repeated ICCU failures? If not, maybe it’s just an issue with older units, and replacing them fixes the problem.

@Conley
I think some people have had multiple failures, sadly.

@Conley
Saw another post asking about this. A few replies mentioned 2 failures, and one even said 4. I’m on my first failure at 7,158 miles, and I’m hoping it’s the last. But I’m starting to think there’s some hidden flaw in certain cars. If it happens again after being fixed, I might look into lemon laws in my area for a buyback.

@Amari
My wife’s car, bought in Feb 2024, has over 24,000 km (~15,000 miles) now. No ICCU issues so far. We had the update done a week ago.

What’s turtle mode? Sorry about your car. Hopefully, it’s an easy fix.

Bali said:
What’s turtle mode? Sorry about your car. Hopefully, it’s an easy fix.

It limits the car to 20mph, so you can only limp along. I really hope it gets sorted soon—I need it for work.

I drive a 2021 EV6 with 110,000 km. Had the same issue earlier this month. The car stopped charging, wouldn’t start climate control, and got stuck in turtle mode. It kept warning about the 12v battery.

I replaced the 12v battery, and it worked for 8 km before showing a ‘stop when possible’ message. Luckily, I was close to the dealership. They said the ICCU was fried. The part isn’t available in South Korea right now, so I have to wait until February. At least the dealership gave me a loaner and is covering everything.

@Noor
Same here. They just called to say my ICCU is fried. Replacement part will arrive Wednesday.

These cars might be risky once the warranty runs out. It’s disappointing because they drive so well otherwise.

Shay said:
These cars might be risky once the warranty runs out. It’s disappointing because they drive so well otherwise.

I’ve had cars with big issues like this before, and the manufacturer extended the warranty for the problem. Kia, though, doesn’t seem eager to acknowledge how widespread this is. Is the ICCU covered by the 3-year warranty?

@Haven
Recalls aren’t limited by warranty. Since the ICCU already has a recall history, I’d expect future issues to get covered under recalls too.

@Haven
I think the ICCU is part of the 10-year/100k warranty.

Shay said:
These cars might be risky once the warranty runs out. It’s disappointing because they drive so well otherwise.

Yeah, I’m worried about repair delays and costs too. I wouldn’t be surprised if Kia faces a class action lawsuit over this.

I had my 2024 EV6 GT Line’s ICCU replaced after 3,500 km. So far, no problems at 5,800 km.

UPDATE

ICCU is fried. Dealer said it’ll be replaced by Wednesday. No loaner cars available, so I had to rent one myself.

If I had to guess, maybe this update is putting extra strain on the ICCU to keep the 12v battery charged, pushing it near or past its limits. It seems like people who have problems experience failure within a week of the update.

Did you drive it every weekday and leave it parked longer over the weekend? Maybe something about sitting idle makes it worse?