A Travel Nurse Says Her Kia EV6 Became a Winter Nightmare After the 12-Volt Battery Failed, “Anybody Have Input?” She Asks After Getting Towed, Spending $250 on a New Battery, and Watching the Car Shut Down Again

For one Kia EV6 owner, winter ownership took a sharp turn from convenience to chaos after a sudden low-voltage failure left her stranded repeatedly, even after replacing the 12-volt battery. The owner, a travel nurse working overnight shifts, says the experience has made her question whether she truly understood what EV ownership would look like in cold weather.

The problems began after an overnight shift when she charged her EV6 to 100 percent in a hospital parking garage. The car initially powered on and drove up one level, but warning signs appeared almost immediately. A low voltage warning and turtle icon popped up, followed by the vehicle shutting itself down. With no way to continue driving, she had to leave the car behind and take an Uber back to her hotel.

“Having a very bad weekend with Evie.  I am a travel nurse and worked overnight on Friday. Charged her in the parking garage to 100%. In the morning, she started up, and we made it to the second level of the garage. Had the low voltage and turtle icon, and it was powering down. Had to Uber from work to my hotel.  Went back to work yesterday, was able to turn her on when I arrived, and turned her off after one minute. The hospital security only had a small charger, and it drained that in about 5 minutes and would not hold the charge.  My friend gave me a jump after work with her cables, and we let it sit for half an hour. I read the battery reader should be at 12-13. It was. I was able to drive out of the garage and down one road, only to stop working in the intersection.  I had to get towed. Lucky for me, the auto part store was open.  I bought a new 12-volt battery for $250. I was able to drive three minutes to the hotel. By this point, all the angry messages were back. Using winter conditioning and utility mode didn’t help.  I let it run for half an hour before turning it off and coming to get some sleep.  When I woke up now, about four hours have passed, and the car is turned on. I figured I would let her run a little.  After seven minutes, she shut down again. When buying this car, I had no idea it would behave this way in the winter.  I live in the Pittsburgh, PA area.

Does anybody have input?  I had the ICCU recall about a year ago.”

When she returned to work the next day, the car briefly powered on again, but shut down after about a minute. Hospital security attempted to help using a small portable charger, but it drained within minutes and failed to stabilize the vehicle. A friend later provided a jump start, and after letting the car sit for about 30 minutes, the 12-volt battery appeared to read within normal range at 12 to 13 volts.

Kia EV6: Cabin Layout & Control Panel

• The EV6’s low roofline and wide stance give it a sportier posture than many electric crossovers, improving highway stability while slightly compromising rear headroom and rear window visibility.
• Acceleration is immediate and easy to modulate in daily driving, with regenerative braking settings allowing drivers to tailor one-pedal behavior to their preference.
• Cabin layout combines modern screens with a practical center-console design, though the touch-sensitive control panel for climate and media can require extra attention to operate.
• Charging performance is a core usability advantage on long trips, though peak charging speeds depend heavily on battery temperature and charger availability.

That recovery did not last. She managed to drive out of the garage and down one road before the car shut down again in the middle of an intersection. A tow followed, along with a $250 out of pocket purchase of a new 12-volt battery from a nearby auto parts store. After installing it, she was able to drive roughly three minutes back to her hotel.

Even with the new battery installed, the warning messages returned. Winter conditioning and utility mode made no difference. She let the car run for half an hour before shutting it off to rest. When she returned four hours later, the car turned on again, only to shut down after seven minutes of idling.

The owner says she had no idea the EV6 could behave this way in winter conditions. She lives in the Pittsburgh area, where cold weather is normal, not extreme. She also noted that her vehicle had already received the ICCU recall update about a year earlier, which made the failure even more confusing and frustrating.

Responses from other EV6 owners were swift and consistent. Many pointed to a failing Integrated Charging Control Unit, commonly known as the ICCU. According to experienced owners, once the ICCU is damaged, it can no longer properly charge or maintain the 12-volt battery while the vehicle is operating. The result is a cascading failure where the 12-volt system drains rapidly, triggering shutdowns even if the high-voltage battery is fully charged.

Several commenters emphasized that software updates alone cannot repair damaged ICCU hardware. If the unit has already failed or partially failed, the recall update may prevent future issues in healthy components, but it will not restore functionality to hardware that is already compromised. That explains why replacing the 12-volt battery alone did not solve the problem.

Owners who recently experienced similar failures reported that ICCU replacements are now being completed relatively quickly, often within days or a week, depending on parts availability. However, others warned that some dealerships may be hesitant to formally diagnose the issue due to legal implications involving loaner vehicles and lemon law timelines.

The advice from fellow owners was nearly unanimous. Stop attempting to drive the vehicle and have it towed directly to a Kia dealership, preferably on a flatbed or with dollies. Document everything, including dates, warning messages, and service interactions, and insist on a full ICCU inspection rather than repeated battery replacements.

For this travel nurse, the experience has been more than an inconvenience. Being stranded after overnight shifts, relying on rideshares, and spending hundreds of dollars out of pocket has turned what was once a dependable daily driver into a source of anxiety. Her story highlights a harsh reality of modern EV ownership: when low-voltage systems fail, even a fully charged battery cannot keep the car alive.

As winter continues, her experience serves as a cautionary tale for EV owners in cold climates. The technology may be advanced, but when supporting systems fail, the result can be sudden, confusing, and deeply disruptive, especially for drivers who depend on their vehicles for demanding work schedules.

Image Sources: Kia Media Center

Noah Washington is an automotive journalist based in Atlanta, Georgia. He enjoys covering the latest news in the automotive industry and conducting reviews on the latest cars. He has been in the automotive industry since 15 years old and has been featured in prominent automotive news sites. You can reach him on X and LinkedIn for tips and to follow his automotive coverage.