'13th Fire' Hyundai Kona EV Finally Begins Recall

A fire broke out in a Kona EV vehicle parked in the underground parking lot of an apartment in Yuga-eup, Dalseong-gun, Daegu. The vehicle was completely burned down in the fire. No casualties were reported. (Provided by Daegu Fire Safety Headquarters) [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Chun-hee] Hyundai's Kona EV, which experienced as many as 13 vehicle fires, is undergoing a recall due to manufacturing defects.

On the 8th, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced that a recall for the Kona EV manufactured and sold by Hyundai will begin. The affected vehicles are 25,564 units produced from September 29, 2017, to March 13 of this year. Starting from the 16th, software updates and inspections will be conducted, followed by battery replacements.

According to industry sources, there have been a total of 13 fire incidents related to the Kona EV since 2018, including 4 overseas cases. Especially amid recent consecutive fires, cases have emerged where fires broke out while the cable was connected after charging or suddenly occurred while parked after charging was completed, raising concerns about the vehicle's safety.

Kona EV (Provided by Hyundai Motor Company)

The Kona EV is Hyundai's flagship electric vehicle model, with a total of 106,667 units sold domestically and overseas since its launch, including 28,919 units in the domestic market and 77,748 units overseas up to the first half of this year. This year alone, 7,061 units have been sold domestically as of September.

Hyundai identified the cause of the repeated fires as "the possibility of fire caused by an internal short circuit due to a manufacturing defect in the battery cells of the high-voltage battery after vehicle charging is completed." The defect was attributed to damage to the separator between the positive (+) and negative (-) plates caused by quality issues during the manufacturing process.

Hyundai is initiating a proactive recall to address the fire cause strongly suspected among various causes reviewed by the Korea Automotive Technology Institute (KATRI) during the defect investigation process.

During the recall, after updating the Battery Management System (BMS), inspections will be conducted, and if abnormal battery signs such as excessive voltage deviation between cells or rapid temperature changes are detected, the battery will be replaced immediately. Hyundai explained, "Even if no abnormalities are found, the updated BMS will continuously monitor for additional abnormal changes, and if detected, charging will be stopped, engine start will be restricted, and warning messages will be automatically sent to the vehicle owner and Hyundai's emergency call center, minimizing the possibility of fire."

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and KATRI plan to verify the appropriateness of the defect cause and recall plan proposed by the manufacturer through ongoing defect investigations such as fire reproduction tests, and will take supplementary measures if necessary, separate from this recall. The Ministry stated that through this recall, they intend to strengthen safety management of electric vehicles to ensure that electric vehicle production and distribution are not disrupted.

Hyundai will notify owners of the recalled vehicles about the correction methods via mail and mobile phone messages. If vehicle owners have repaired the defect at their own expense before the recall, they can apply for compensation for the repair costs from the manufacturer.

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