It’s been a few days and the problem hasn’t been solved.

Following a mammoth month of sales in January, disaster has now struck Kia as a connected car services outage is plaguing owners across the country. We first caught wind of the problem when owners started complaining on social media about the brand’s UVO mobile application not working. The app interacts with Kia’s cars for a range of convenience features, some in paid packages, such as maintenance alerts, remote lock and unlock, remote climate control and pre-heating, as well as a 911 Connect system, roadside assistance, and Vehicle Alarm Alert. That explains why Kia Telluride owners can’t use Google Home or Amazon Alexa to connect to their vehicle; however, the outage goes far deeper than that.

Kia

Kia

“Affected systems include the Kia Owners Portal, UVO mobile apps, and the Consumer Affairs web portal,” Kia Motors America said in a statement, “We apologize for any inconvenience to affected customers and are working to resolve the issue as quickly as possible with minimal interruption to our business.”

The outage is also affecting dealers, leaving them unable to order parts, order new cars for customers, or download software for vehicle service updates. Automotive News reports that two dealers told the publication that Kia’s KDealer communication system wasn’t working as of Saturday morning.

This is understandably a huge problem for Kia, which is one of the automakers at the forefront of connected car technology. However, the automaker is remaining tight-lipped about the cause of the outages as it, no doubt frantically, works to resolve the problem or problems.

There have been links on social media passed around claiming the outage is a result of a ransomware attack. We’re unable to confirm if those claims have any merit, and evidence put forward has only been in the form of screenshots. Kia has responded to the rumors, firmly stating: “We are also aware of online speculation that Kia is subject to a “ransomware” attack. At this time, we can confirm that we have no evidence that Kia or any Kia data is subject to a “ransomware” attack.”

2020-2021 Kia Telluride Front Angle ViewCarBuzz

Kia

2020-2021 Kia Telluride Rear Angle ViewCarBuzz

2020-2021 Kia Telluride Central ConsoleCarBuzz

Source Credits:

Automotive News