170 Kona EV Owners File Class Action Against Hyundai Motor Company... "Second Lawsuit Also in Preparation"

[Asia Economy Reporter Kiho Sung] More than 170 owners of the Hyundai Kona EV, which is undergoing a recall due to battery issues, have filed a class-action lawsuit against Hyundai Motor Company.

According to industry sources on the 18th, over 170 Kona EV owners filed a lawsuit at the Seoul Central District Court, claiming losses due to a decline in vehicle value such as used car price drops following a series of fires.

A representative from the law firm Jeongse, representing the Kona EV owners, stated, "We recruited plaintiffs until the end of October and filed the first lawsuit on the 12th. We are also planning a second lawsuit by gathering owners who wish to join additionally. We are demanding 8 million KRW in damages per person, and this amount could increase during the trial process."

The Kona EV owners argue that the ongoing Battery Management System (BMS) update by Hyundai cannot fundamentally solve the problem and are demanding a full replacement of the battery pack.

Earlier, Hyundai announced a recall of a total of 77,000 Kona EVs worldwide last month after a series of fires occurred in the Kona EV. In South Korea, starting from the 16th of last month, Hyundai has been updating the BMS through the recall and plans to immediately replace the battery if any abnormal signs are detected.

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