My 2026 IONIQ 9 SEL AWD is being bought back by Hyundai, and I’m having a surprisingly difficult time deciding what to replace it with.

The buyback is due to recurring issues that started within the first week of ownership, including a very loud turbine-like noise, intermittent A/C failures, and a concerning jerking/power-loss issue at low speeds. After multiple repair attempts and extended time at the dealership, some of the problems were reproduced but never fully resolved, and Hyundai ultimately agreed to the buyback.

Here’s my dilemma: I actually love the IONIQ 9.

I bought the ioniq9 in the beginning of March and only put 3k miles on it, because of how many times and how long it has been in the shop. I have driven more the Santa Fe loaner than the ioniq9.

When it was working properly, I loved driving it. I love the space, comfort, range, large battery, curved display, interior design, and the fact that it doesn’t look like every other large SUV on the road.

So now I’m trying to decide whether I simply got a bad one and should buy another IONIQ 9 SEL AWD, or whether I should use this opportunity to switch to an EV9 Land AWD.

I’ve test driven the EV9 and think it’s a great vehicle. There are things I like about it, especially the moonroof and captain’s chairs, and I can get the Land for approximately the same price as another SEL.

But there are also several things about the IONIQ 9 that I genuinely prefer.
So this isn’t really about which one is cheaper.

If I didn’t like the IONIQ 9 so much, this decision would actually be easy.

For those of you who seriously cross-shopped the EV9 before choosing the IONIQ 9, what ultimately made you choose the Hyundai? And now that you’ve lived with it, would you make the same choice again?

I’m also especially interested in owners who have put some real mileage on theirs. Has your IONIQ 9 been trouble-free, or have you experienced any recurring issues?

Basically, I’m trying to figure out whether I got an unfortunate bad one and should confidently give the IONIQ 9 another shot, or whether you’d take the buyback as an opportunity to try something different.

The cars are decent, though the quality control isn’t so great these days. But if you do business with Hyundai Motor Finance, they’ll file false claims about you with credit reporting agencies. They’ll write you letters confirming that you have a zero balance and that your account is closed, and the next day they’ll tell Experian et al. that your account is delinquent. You’ll spend dozens of hours on the phone with their agents who don’t speak English, and your credit will be ruined. It’s not worth the hassle.

As per the post that recommended the Rain X truck and SUV wipers, I’m going to get them today so wish me luck! Contrary to popular opinion, I actually like the OEM wipers lol. I’ve had three Hyundais since 2020 and I always got the OEMs. But this time they want $90 PER BLADE 😭 so not doing that anymore. $90 used to be for the whole set front and back so we’re not doing that anymore. I’ll update you guys later if you’re interested!

How I finally got my IONIQ 9 to charge at a Tesla Supercharger (Crucial Tip!)

(My Charging Failure Experience) - in Canada

I pulled up to a Tesla Supercharger and opened the Tesla app to "Find a charger," but the station wouldn't even show up on the list.

I left feeling frustrated, wondering if it was exclusive to Tesla members. Unfortunately, I had the same failed experience at a second Supercharger location.

​(The Ultimate Tip for Success)

The reason the Supercharger doesn't load in the app—even when you're standing right in front of it—is that the network isn't fully open to Hyundai vehicles yet.

​Here is the workaround to fix this:

​Open the Tesla app and go to Menu > Charging > Vehicle Details.

​Change your vehicle information from Hyundai to Ford or Rivian.

​Force-close the Tesla app and relaunch it.

​Go to "Find a charger" again, and you will see the nearby Superchargers successfully loaded on your screen!

​Now you’re good to go.

Happy charging!

*"I also run a Facebook group where we share technical tips and discussions for future < IONIQ9 Owners > "*

https://preview.redd.it/qejk5aazhdjh1.png?width=1100&format=png&auto=webp&s=e6c757f56bf4349701a5e9a0500128d6ae4a1d20

Feels like they made maybe 50-75 of this spec in total. I have been tracking for a year, so I’ve seen them all, lol. Some more with black interior, but you couldn’t pay me to take a car with a black interior living in the pyrocene.

More generally - I really don’t understand why Hyundai hates color 😫

Please post all buying, selling, or leasing discussion to this megathread. When posting make sure to include as much information as possible (trim, options, color, location, MSRP, actual price, lease terms, etc.)

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Dealerships and leasing agents are free to chime in and/or promote their deals in this thread.

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Here is the thread for last month July 2026

Just signed the paperwork, there was some small dmg on the passenger seat. So the seat will be repaired before I take possession so excited!!! Coming off of the 2024 I5 Limited lease, and stepping into the 2026 I9 SEL on red permanently as could not pass up on 72m 0% APR

Now time to find out all the aftermarket accessories I will have to have

My very first Reddit post...

I enjoy this car very much overall. It was 27k off with the Illinois used ev credit. I hope to drive it into the ground for 15-20 years.

In my estimation, if reliable, best choice for the price, for a three row vehicle if driven 15 years. Was thinking about the Grand Highlander, but there's no negotiating there and the cost of gas and maintenance made it less palatable. I know its a first year model, but it and the ev9 has been running for a few years now esp in Korea and if you can handle the risk of an ICCU failure there's really nothing else...

Pros:

1. Ambient LEDs are awesome.  
2. Great Torque for passing, even at 6000 lb. 
3. Super quiet and luxurious cabin.  No road noise.  Materials feel so plush. 
4. 100w Charge ports for everyone!  
5. center console open from front and back - awesome feature.
6. HDA2 - nice auto steering system.  Not obnoxious or intrusive - arguably better than Tesla's.  Even changes lanes for free.  Easy to use, won't fight with you like Tesla. 
7. Tons of storage.  Frunk and Underfloor trunk space is small, but still helpful.    
8. Roomy, airy first two rows.
9. Good energy economy - as stated - 2.9mi/Kwh.  My Model Y gets 3.9mi but this is bigger 
10. Leatherette seats are comfy and look like they will last
11. 24 minute 10-80 fast charging! Not a big deal for me as 40 minutes is fine at Tesla since I can stretch my legs, get some food and bathroom break at the Meijer.

Cons:

1. the potential ICCU issues.  
2. After a long drain may need two nights to charge L2, especially if you charge at 29 amps (60%) to save ICCU stress
3. Kids hate the third row seating.  But they’re coming from a large plush Sienna with captains chairs.  
4. Won't remember settings like climate sync and i-pedal
5. Impossible to tell what the climate/AC settings are with those faint indicator LEDs. 
6. Software primitive if coming from Tesla
7. Drives BIG!  Huge hood!  Wide circles!
8. bumpy third row with non-adjustable head rests. 
9. Menu is terrible.  Impossible to find things buried in 3-5 nested menus.  
10. The constant beeping is total rage bait.  Every time you park or pull out…  Anytime a door or seat or seat belt is off...  It's obnoxious!  
11. The parking camera and redundant side and top down views and beeping are very distracting.  
12. Mid trim SEL with no options for captains chairs, no walk away lock, no seat profiles, or one touch rear windows or sunshades...   
13. Remote feels like a six year old in Shenzhen made this for ten cents...  There's no weight to it. Then you have this convoluted emergency key that should slide into the remote but is separate dangly piece, and to add insult to injury it's connected to its own fob by a little pin which of course fell out so it's loose...

Quirks:

1. Odd mix of features.  Ventilated and cooled seats but no one touch windows on the second row?
2. Super plush suspension - great for highways but can't corner! 
3. track down/up is reversed.  Weird!  
4. There’s at least three or four icons on the dash related to steering - center keep is separate from lane assist is separate from the green steering wheel and sometimes they turn off without an alert…

Been having a problem with my drivers side door handle touch button not recognizing a touch at all. It's been getting progressively worse since we got the car. Approaching 1 year now and it's completely inoperative.

Brought it to the dealer, they agreed the handle unit needs to be replaced. Thankfully under warranty. The initially quoted me 3 weeks, 2 weeks for parts to arrive, 1 week to paint.

It's been 6 weeks. When I called back they said the part is still on order. There is nothing in stock and they have no estimate because they're not even showing it available to order overseas. They don't know when anything will happen and I was told to keep waiting.

I've never been in the situation but I'm skeptical that there is no information at all about replacement parts. So looking for advice here.

Should I try another Hyundai maintenance to see if I get the same story? Can I get them to check for parts without having to bring my car in?

Did our first interstate road trip today, about 400 miles. Made both of our stops at Ionna stations after hearing good things, and we were so impressed! Super fast speeds, no technical problems, cheaper rates than we've seen from Tesla or EA, and an interface that is actually simple and doesn't rely on a bespoke app.

Hope they continue to expand - this is how charging should be, as simple as a gas pump. They've definitely got our business going forward.

Doing some research looking at SEL in my state (MI). Below show the days on lot from vinvisor for MI vs. US. I'm thinking about using the high days on lot to get some more discount from the dealers.

I'm very curious to know as to why there aren't any listings less than 150 days in my state. Is it already sold or the dealers aren't ordering them. The newer listings seem to be on either on the east or west coast mostly.

Also, would the vehicles with 150+ days more prone to ICCU issues? I've been seeing some post of new/better ICCUs on the newer cars but not sure if it would apply to the ones build 6 mos ago.

Any thoughts?

Days on lot for MI

Day on lot for US

I intentionally took my one month old Ioniq 9 on 2 road trips - around 3K miles with only DC fast charging, and I also drove 1K miles outside of the road trips - normal driving with home level 2 charging. When the battery health finally showed up (it doesn’t show the stats for the first few weeks), it says it’s only at 95%. Ioniq 5 owners have said their cars show 91% health after 100K, and various studies on the Ioniq (in general) say the battery should only drop 1.5% in the first year. So 5% drop in 1 month and 4K miles seems too high.

Any other Ioniq owners checked their battery health soon after buying it? is this a reading that will bounce up and down as the car gets used to my driving and charging habits (perhaps it is overindexing on the road trips and DC fast charging?) or is this a defective battery pack?

https://preview.redd.it/3ncu239ggfih1.png?width=3145&format=png&auto=webp&s=ca0e1554c4d29e479c6f3a80a30b3ee1d1e7cf56