WIA, a company specializing in various automotive products and military equipment, has recently come under scrutiny for producing faulty driveshaft assemblies. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has received documents detailing the issue, which specifically involves part number 49560-GI000 for the rear inner driveshaft assembly of the EV6 and part number 49500-AO000 for the front left driveshaft of the Niro EV.
In total, it is estimated that 1,039 EV6 vehicles with these defective driveshafts were produced for the US market. These vehicles were manufactured between June 27, 2023, and July 13, 2023, at the Hwasung plant in South Korea. The Niro EV, which has three versions, was also produced at the same plant during the same timeframe.
The problem with these driveshafts stems from improper heat treatment, which can cause them to break when under load. This poses a significant risk as it can result in a loss of motive power and potentially lead to accidents. Kia Corporation, based in South Korea, initially informed Kia North America of an incident involving a Kia Niro EV in Turkey.
Further investigation by Kia identified two additional incidents of potential driveshaft breakage in the US market, occurring on November 24 and December 22 of the previous year. As a result, Kia has decided to recall all potentially affected vehicles. However, driveshaft assemblies that were properly heat-treated have been used in Niro EVs produced from July 14 onwards and EV6s produced from September 4 onwards.
Dealers have been instructed to replace the faulty driveshafts with remedy parts. However, affected owners will have to wait until March 29 to receive official notifications from Kia via mail. In the meantime, owners can check if their vehicle is affected by running the VIN on Kia’s website or the federal watchdog’s website.
The EV6, which shares a platform with the Hyundai Ioniq 5, has a starting price of $42,600 and a lease bonus of $7,500. It offers a maximum driving range of 310 miles on a full charge. In comparison, the Niro EV, which is not based on an EV-specific platform and has a smaller battery, only has an EPA-rated range of 253 miles. The Niro EV is currently priced at $39,600.
