Kioti NX Series Tractor - Serious Issues

[Unwiredone]

Bought a 2014 Kioti NX5010 new. Just over 600 hours since new and for the past two seasons have had a dangerous issue with the tractor stalling in different load and power configurations. The tractor will just die and start throwing multiple error codes. Will have to attempt multiple restarts and eventually tractor will restart and operate for anywhere from a few minutes to the rest of the day. Principal use of tractor is mowing grass and hay operations.

Have had the tractor at the dealer several times for this issue and each time am told its fixed and charged for new parts that do not fix the issue. Kioti representatives were made aware of this issue in January this year, yet they were more concerned (seemingly) of updating my engine for an EPA issue than fixing the actual tractor. The lack of dealer support and or troubleshooting is quite troubling. Many have asked me about my experience with the Kioti tractor and although the features of the tractor are great, the quality just isn't apparent. Worse, still, is the lack of knowledge and support in fixing issues - particularly this one since its also quite dangerous in certain situations.

Does anyone know what would be causing the tractor to just stop / stall at various power and load configurations? Does anyone have a contact at Kioti that actually will take an interest in supporting their dealer channel or has a working knowledge of Kioti operating issues on the NX series?

Thank you for any replies or assistance!

P.S. - The other posters here on TBN have been fantastic in sharing experiences and knowledge. Thank you for taking the time to share.

 

[AWSubie]

Please list the error codes and tell us what parts the dealer replaced.

 

[Unwiredone]

Please list the error codes and tell us what parts the dealer replaced.

Error codes 2, 6, 7, 8 on the dash readout are the codes from memory. I believe that these are all indications of power not getting to specific components on the tractor. I will share, that under electrical power load (Air Conditioning operating), the tractor is more suscetiple on dying spontaneously. Yet then again, the air conditioning has been off when the tractor just dies while mowing flat ground.

Thus far, the EMU was the most recent item replaced and athough charged for it, I refused to pay for it. Prior, the dealer thought it may have been a dead cell in the battery which he replaced and charged me for - and I paid for the battery. Shortly after receiving the tractor in 2014, another electronic part caused the tractor to fail and the dealer came to the farm and replaced it. This was with less than 12 hours on the machine. There was no cost to this part. I have personally replaced the ignition switch as I learned via forums that the prior ignition switch had problems. This did not corect the issue. The petentiometer now doesn't appear to be working correctly either, yet this could be a calibration issue.

I've personally checked the fuses and all electrical connections that I can locate to make sure that neither fuses were blown nor any connections were loose.

I have a video of the tractor operating at normal PTO power with a 6' disc mower on level ground when it dies within minutes of the last startup.

I have clean fuel as the fuel is used in all other tractors on the farm (4 Kubota's, 2 Massey Ferguson's, and the Kioti) and all comes from the same tank. No other tractor has any issues.

Again, I appreciate any help or guidance. Thank you!

 

[MichiganIron]

Error codes 2, 6, 7, 8 on the dash readout are the codes from memory. I believe that these are all indications of power not getting to specific components on the tractor. I will share, that under electrical power load (Air Conditioning operating), the tractor is more suscetiple on dying spontaneously. Yet then again, the air conditioning has been off when the tractor just dies while mowing flat ground.

Thus far, the EMU was the most recent item replaced and athough charged for it, I refused to pay for it. Prior, the dealer thought it may have been a dead cell in the battery which he replaced and charged me for - and I paid for the battery. Shortly after receiving the tractor in 2014, another electronic part caused the tractor to fail and the dealer came to the farm and replaced it. This was with less than 12 hours on the machine. There was no cost to this part. I have personally replaced the ignition switch as I learned via forums that the prior ignition switch had problems. This did not corect the issue. The petentiometer now doesn't appear to be working correctly either, yet this could be a calibration issue.

I've personally checked the fuses and all electrical connections that I can locate to make sure that neither fuses were blown nor any connections were loose.

I have a video of the tractor operating at normal PTO power with a 6' disc mower on level ground when it dies within minutes of the last startup.

I have clean fuel as the fuel is used in all other tractors on the farm (4 Kubota's, 2 Massey Ferguson's, and the Kioti) and all comes from the same tank. No other tractor has any issues.

Again, I appreciate any help or guidance. Thank you!

Dash Error codes are most likely caused by a Safety Start function. The error codes for the engine and engine management system can only be read from the OBD2 for the ECU. Safety start circuit faults are shown on the dash. If the safety start system faults, the signal to the ECU is interrupted and the engine will shut down. Simple things first, check the seat safety switch. The tractor may think that you have left the seat. After seat safety switch, check the tail light harnesses for any rubbed wires that could cause a short to ground. This faults the safety start circuit since you need to have the brake pedal depressed to start the tractor, brake lights illuminate. If it is a shuttle tractor, there is also a clutch safety switch, hydro tractors have a neutral safety switch. From what you have described, it sounds like a gremlin lives in your safety start circuit.

Also, the safety start system needs to reset after a fault occurs. You may see the code for 3-5 seconds after the tractor starts, then will go away.

Tough to diagnose electrical without the tractor...especially intermittent problems...drives you nuts.

Hope the above helps...

 

[countrybumpkin]

There have been a few having electrical issues that have been traced down to a lose harness connector. The saftey unit is behind the right side cab panel, you might want to check the connector there also.

 

[Unwiredone]

There have been a few having electrical issues that have been traced down to a lose harness connector. The saftey unit is behind the right side cab panel, you might want to check the connector there also.

Ah, the safety unit is located there! I had a panel cover on that area before I left it at the dealer last time. When the tractor came back, it was missing. So, its evident that was being checked. Good to know.

So far, between what you have shared and Michigan Iron shared, its making some sense as to what the problem "could be". Thank you both for responding!

 

[AWSubie]

Also when you check connectors you must pull them apart first to verify that individual pins are not bent and have not been dislodged from their sockets and pushed back.

 

[Unwiredone]

Also when you check connectors you must pull them apart first to verify that individual pins are not bent and have not been dislodged from their sockets and pushed back.

Very good point!

 

[Unwiredone]

Dash Error codes are most likely caused by a Safety Start function. The error codes for the engine and engine management system can only be read from the OBD2 for the ECU. Safety start circuit faults are shown on the dash. If the safety start system faults, the signal to the ECU is interrupted and the engine will shut down. Simple things first, check the seat safety switch. The tractor may think that you have left the seat. After seat safety switch, check the tail light harnesses for any rubbed wires that could cause a short to ground. This faults the safety start circuit since you need to have the brake pedal depressed to start the tractor, brake lights illuminate. If it is a shuttle tractor, there is also a clutch safety switch, hydro tractors have a neutral safety switch. From what you have described, it sounds like a gremlin lives in your safety start circuit.

Also, the safety start system needs to reset after a fault occurs. You may see the code for 3-5 seconds after the tractor starts, then will go away.

Tough to diagnose electrical without the tractor...especially intermittent problems...drives you nuts.

Hope the above helps...

So far, I have checked all the connections that I could find. I did find one connector that was completely unconnected but it didn't cause the tractor to stall as the tractor would start without it. Fact is, I am unsure what its purpose actually is as its located under the dash and adjacent to the brake pedals. It is not part of the safety switch assembly. The two end connectors are white and appear to come off the main bundle of wiring that comes up through the floor board. I had to take the dash off in order to connect the assembly. I know that the dealer had the dash off at one point as well had taken the hazard and 4-wheel drive switches out. (I know this because whomever took these out had actually broken the retainer clips that hold the switches in place - you shouldn't expect more items to be broken/missing when taking your tractor in for service, but this seems to be the case with my luck. No Quality Assurance practices at my local dealer apparently.)

After checking all the connections, and after the tractor started, I took it out yesterday to do some mowing. In nearly 2 hours of being out, I managed to get a whopping 7/10ths of an hour of work done as the rest of the time I had to attempt constant restarts or wait for something to reset so I could restart. Terribly frustrating to have a less than 3 year old tractor that you can count on when you need it.

 

[AWSubie]

If this were my tractor, I would start bypassing each safety switch (one at a time). I would start with the seat switch and then do either the neutral switch if you have a HST or the clutch switch if you have a shuttle.