NHTSA Complaint #11668628 — 2024 KIA EV6

There is a safety issue with the specific implementation of the regenerative braking system when the car is put into reverse that I have experienced on several occasions. This is not a failure or malfunction of the system as it is working as intended nor are there any warning messages or alerts to signify a defect. The way Kia's system works is that regenerative braking is always on (like all EVs), but at a level you set from 1-4, with 4 being the most aggressive. I leave it on level 4(i-pedal) because I prefer one-pedal driving which I find to be more comfortable and safer. When the car is parked, or at a complete stop, if I put the car into reverse then the regenerative braking level is forced down to level 3. This creates a novel situation where regenerative braking is holding the parked car in place, but also the car won't move until the acceleration pedal is pressed. So I need to tap the accelerator then quickly move my foot to the brake pedal to stop the car which takes a couple of seconds. This causes the car to lurch backwards quickly until my foot reaches the brake pedal because Level 3 is not aggressive enough to bring the car to a complete stop in a short distance. Once I have held down the brakde pedal I can use that to slowly reverse more safely. I haven't hit anyone or anything yet, but I have had a few close calls from cars or pedestrians suddenly appearing from outside my view range at the same time I'm doing that initial reverse lurch. If someone were slower than me or have some physical hindrance that didn't allow them to move their foot quickly then it would be more likely the car may accidentally reverse into a person or car before the driver could respond. Being that regenerative braking is still engaged while reversing it should be a simple software change to allow for level 4 to be enabled thus eliminating the initial reverse lurch issue.