Photo: Bogdan Popa/autoevolution/reddit
As if everything else was alright in the Kia world, owners who purchased the latest-generation cars supporting the Kia Access mobile companion app ended up struggling with another issue.
The app went down a few hours ago due to a mysterious outage that knocked it offline. Kia did not release any comments on the problems, so it's impossible to tell what happened, but Kia owners have been struggling to access certain functionality for several hours.
The Kia Access app offers one-tap access to essential vehicle information, including maintenance, payments for models purchased with Kia financing, guides, videos, and the owner's manual.
However, the more advanced functionality is offered to Kia customers who bought a model supporting Kia Connect. Kia Access offers remote features like finding the car, setting the cabin temperature, locking and unlocking the doors, turning on the lights, and sending locations to the navigation system so everything would be ready for a new drive.
Plug-in hybrid and electric vehicles come with even more advanced functionality powered by Kia Access, including checking the battery status and the estimated driving range and locating nearby charging stations from the mobile device.
The option to lock and unlock the doors is what seems to cause particular struggles due to the downtime. Some car owners claim the vehicle is locked with the physical key inside, and considering the Kia Access is down, they have no option but to wait for the application to come back online. Remotely unlocking the doors doesn't work until Kia restores the application.
It's not the first time the Kia Access has gone down, but the outage lasted several hours, and unsurprisingly, drivers who purchased the latest-generation models specifically for advanced functionality via their mobile phones are angry with Kia's lack of response. The application displays a generic error reading: "we are experiencing difficulties with our systems, and we'll be back online soon, we regret the inconvenience caused."
No further details on the outage were shared. The application went offline on iPhone and Android.
Meanwhile, Kia also has some other problems to keep it busy. The company has started contacting customers who purchased certain models, including the previous-generation Rio, for a second update supposed to resolve the already infamous TikTok challenge known as Kia Boyz. Some vehicles exposed to the hack did not receive the full fix when Kia released the original software update, so the company is now calling customers to the dealership for another patching round, hopefully, to block the exploit once and for all.
The carmaker is now sending letters to the affected customers, so keep your eye on the mail in the coming weeks. The company performs the update free of charge, with the process to take approximately one hour based on an appointment with your local Kia dealership.
The Kia Access app offers one-tap access to essential vehicle information, including maintenance, payments for models purchased with Kia financing, guides, videos, and the owner's manual.
However, the more advanced functionality is offered to Kia customers who bought a model supporting Kia Connect. Kia Access offers remote features like finding the car, setting the cabin temperature, locking and unlocking the doors, turning on the lights, and sending locations to the navigation system so everything would be ready for a new drive.
Plug-in hybrid and electric vehicles come with even more advanced functionality powered by Kia Access, including checking the battery status and the estimated driving range and locating nearby charging stations from the mobile device.
The option to lock and unlock the doors is what seems to cause particular struggles due to the downtime. Some car owners claim the vehicle is locked with the physical key inside, and considering the Kia Access is down, they have no option but to wait for the application to come back online. Remotely unlocking the doors doesn't work until Kia restores the application.
It's not the first time the Kia Access has gone down, but the outage lasted several hours, and unsurprisingly, drivers who purchased the latest-generation models specifically for advanced functionality via their mobile phones are angry with Kia's lack of response. The application displays a generic error reading: "we are experiencing difficulties with our systems, and we'll be back online soon, we regret the inconvenience caused."
No further details on the outage were shared. The application went offline on iPhone and Android.
Meanwhile, Kia also has some other problems to keep it busy. The company has started contacting customers who purchased certain models, including the previous-generation Rio, for a second update supposed to resolve the already infamous TikTok challenge known as Kia Boyz. Some vehicles exposed to the hack did not receive the full fix when Kia released the original software update, so the company is now calling customers to the dealership for another patching round, hopefully, to block the exploit once and for all.
The carmaker is now sending letters to the affected customers, so keep your eye on the mail in the coming weeks. The company performs the update free of charge, with the process to take approximately one hour based on an appointment with your local Kia dealership.
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