Kia EV9 Fire Lawsuit Alleges Defective Battery Caused Parking Garage Blaze

Lawsuit alleges a defective Kia EV9 battery management system caused the electric SUV to catch fire while charging, damaging two other nearby vehicles.

A group of insurance companies have filed a product liability lawsuit, alleging that a defective battery management system allowed a 2024 Kia EV9 to overheat and explode.

The complaint (PDF) was filed in the Circuit Court of Hamilton County, Tennessee, by three insurers seeking reimbursement for losses paid to their policyholders. The plaintiffs are Progressive Casualty Insurance Company, on behalf of George Edrington; Progressive Hawaii Insurance Corporation, on behalf of Terry Messina; and Graphic Arts Mutual Insurance Company, on behalf of Rhema Technologies Inc.

The lawsuit names Kia America Inc. as the defendant and was removed to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee on July 21.

Plaintiffs allege the EV9’s battery management system failed while the vehicle was charging, allowing the battery to overheat and enter thermal runaway. The resulting fire destroyed the Kia and damaged two nearby vehicles, causing more than $200,000 in losses.

Kia Battery Fire Allegations

The complaint alleges that on or about November 22, 2024, a 2024 Kia EV9 owned by Edrington was charging in a parking garage when a safety control failure allegedly caused the battery to go into sudden thermal runaway, resulting in an explosion.

Plaintiffs allege the fire resulted from a defect in the EV9’s battery management system, which is designed to monitor battery cell temperatures and prevent overheating during charging. According to the complaint, the system failed to detect or control rising temperatures, allowing the battery to enter thermal runaway and ignite.

The fire allegedly damaged several vehicles and other property inside the garage. The claimed losses include more than $130,000 in damage to Edrington’s EV9 and 2025 Kia Telluride, nearly $13,000 in damage to Messina’s 2014 Ford Escape and more than $140,000 in damage to three Toyota Land Cruisers owned by Rhema Technologies.

After paying the insurance claims arising from the fire, the plaintiffs filed the lawsuit seeking reimbursement from Kia. The automaker denies liability.

“Kia also failed to provide adequate safeguards, warnings, instructions, monitoring systems, and fail-safe protections to prevent or reduce the risk of overheating, thermal runaway, explosion, and fire during foreseeable charging, parking, and use of the EV9.”

— Progressive Casualty Insurance Company et al. v. Kia America Inc.

The lawsuit raises allegations of product liability, negligence, and breach of express and implied warranties. It seeks compensatory damages totaling $208,194, in addition to prejudgment and post-judgment interest, taxable costs, and other relief the court deems appropriate.

Vehicle Battery Fire Risks

The Kia EV9 lawsuit is one of several recent product liability claims and safety actions involving battery fires in electric and hybrid vehicles.

In May, a lawsuit was filed against Tesla alleging that one of its electric vehicles suddenly caught fire while being driven. According to the complaint, the fire caused the driver to lose control and crash, leaving the driver and passengers with serious injuries.

Battery defects have also resulted in large-scale vehicle recalls. More than 300,000 Jeep Wrangler 4xe and Grand Cherokee 4xe plug-in hybrid vehicles were recalled last year because their high-voltage batteries could fail and ignite. The recall followed reports of nearly 20 fires involving the affected vehicles, including some that occurred while the vehicles were parked and turned off.

These incidents have raised concerns about whether battery management systems and other safety features can adequately detect overheating, isolate damaged battery cells and prevent thermal runaway before a fire begins.

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