Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Recalls 550,000 Vehicles of 126 Models Including Santa Fe and 520d

[Asia Economy Reporter Chunhee Lee] The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced on the 22nd that seven companies, including BMW Korea, Hyundai Motor Company, Kia Motors, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and FCA Korea, will conduct recalls (corrective actions) for defects in 549,931 vehicles across 126 models that they manufactured or imported and sold.

Hyundai Motor Company and Kia Motors will conduct recalls for defects in the braking system (ABS/ESC module) found in some aging vehicles totaling 294,622 units of the Santa Fe (CM), Carnival (VQ), and Sorento (BL) models. It was confirmed that foreign substances such as oil or moisture entered the power supply part of the component, causing internal short circuits and the possibility of fire. Owners of the affected vehicles can receive free installation of a power supply control switch service at Hyundai Motor Company’s direct service centers and Bluehands, as well as Kia Motors service centers, starting from the 25th.

Hyundai Motor Company will also recall the Genesis Coupe for a defect in the airbag module fixing bolts, and Kia Motors will recall the Grand Carnival for a defect in the fuel supply pipe. Hyundai Motor Company has been providing bolt retightening services for the affected Genesis Coupe vehicles at its direct service centers and Bluehands since the 14th. Kia Motors plans to conduct free parts replacement for the Grand Carnival vehicles at Kia Motors service centers starting from the 25th.

For BMW Korea, 241,921 vehicles across 79 models with confirmed cracks in some EGR (Exhaust Gas Recirculation) coolers are subject to recall. BMW Korea plans to inspect the EGR coolers of models such as the 520d (77,352 units) and 320d (44,663 units) as a preemptive preventive measure and replace them if necessary. The affected vehicles can receive free repairs at BMW Korea’s official service centers starting from the 1st of next month in phases.

The EGR cooler is a device that recirculates exhaust gases from the engine to reduce pollutants and lower emissions. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport’s investigation into the consecutive BMW vehicle fires revealed that excessive use of the EGR or insufficient cooling performance caused cracks in the EGR cooler, allowing leaked coolant to mix with engine oil and adhere to the intake manifold. This led to the inflow of exhaust gases exceeding 500℃, resulting in fires. Accordingly, BMW Korea had previously announced a recall for about 172,000 vehicles for the EGR cooler. However, defects were found even in the improved EGR coolers, leading to an expanded recall scope by approximately 70,000 additional vehicles compared to the previous recall.

EGR cooler of BMW fire vehicle (Photo by Lee Chunhee)

Additionally, BMW Korea will recall 50 vehicles across four models, including the 740d, due to the possibility that the side head airbags may cause injury to occupants from excessive deployment pressure or fail to deploy properly, thus not providing adequate occupant protection. These vehicles can receive free replacement of improved parts at BMW Korea’s official service centers starting from the 22nd.

Mercedes-Benz Korea will recall 11,480 vehicles across 36 models, including the imported and sold E280, due to adhesive defects in the sunroof glass panels. Furthermore, defects were found in the interior compartment door (center console) of three AMG GT 63 4MATIC+ and AMG GT 63 S 4MATIC+ vehicles. The interior compartment door is required not to open during a frontal collision at 48.3 km/h against a fixed wall, but these vehicles failed to meet this safety standard. The Ministry plans to impose fines on this defect after considering the correction rate and other factors. Free inspection and replacement have been underway since the 15th for the affected vehicles.

For 306 units of the Audi A3 40 TFSI imported and sold by Audi Volkswagen Korea, the tire pressure warning device was found to be non-compliant with safety standards. The Ministry also plans to impose fines on this issue after considering correction rates. Audi Volkswagen Korea will conduct free repairs through software updates starting from the 29th.

Additionally, FCA Korea is conducting free recalls for 557 units of the Jeep Compass (MP) imported and sold, and Bike Korea is conducting free recalls for 180 units of the Kymco RACING S 150 motorcycles imported and sold. These recalls have been ongoing since the 18th at each company’s service centers or dealerships.

Regarding this recall, each manufacturer will notify vehicle owners of the corrective measures via postal mail and mobile text messages. If owners have repaired the defects at their own expense before the recall, they can apply for compensation for repair costs from the manufacturer.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.