Hyundai, Kia Recall Over 140,000 EVs in the US Over Heightened Crash Risk

Hyundai Motor and Kia Motors are recalling electric vehicles in the United States. The urgent announcement was made on Thursday, March 21. The South Korean automakers issued a recall for a combined 147,110 units.

Cause of the Recall

Hyundai Motor and its Kia Motors subsidiary said some electric vehicle models should be repaired due to the increased crash risk. The companies are pointing to issues with charging as the main reason for the recall.

According to NBC Washington, the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) revealed that Hyundai Motor must recall 98,878 units while there are 48,232 affected Kia cars. The federal auto regulator said a glitch in these EV models may cause problems with charging.

The NHTSA explained that the Integrated Charging Control unit of some Hyundai and Kia Motors EVs may become damaged and stop charging; thus, drivers may experience sudden loss of power when driving, and the risk of accidents is heightened. The said control unit is responsible for charging the vehicle’s 12-volt backup battery.

Recalled EV Models

The Daily Mail reported that Hyundai Motor is recalling some batches of its IONIQ 5 and IONIQ 6 EVs and some of its luxury brand, Genesis, models. For Kia Motors, it is recalling some of its EV6 electric vehicles.

Authorized dealers of Hyundai and Kia EVs may have to update or replace the charging control unit of the vehicles. The replacement will be free for all the affected cars and SUVs. In any case, as posted by the NHTSA, the impacted electric cars are the 2023-2024 Genesis GV60, 2023-2024 Genesis GV70, 2023-2024 Genesis GV80; 2022, 2023, and 2024 Hyundai Ioniq 5, 2023-2024 Hyundai Ioniq 6; and 2022, 2023 and 2024 Kia EV6.

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