We reported last week that Hyundai might have to recall up to 100,000 Kona EVs over a short circuit in the battery packs that could lead to a fire. Now, details about the fault’s impact outside of Korea are becoming available.
A Hyundai representative told Car and Driver that approximately 55,000 vehicles outside of Korea are affected by the recall. The company is filing a voluntary recall with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in the US.
Dealers will be given details about the recall shortly, said Hyundai, and the total cost associated with it will be around $900 million.
The fault stems from the possibility of short circuits in the battery cells, which are produced in LG Energy Solutions’ Nanjing, China plant. It seems that the issue cannot be fixed with a simple software update and will therefore require the replacement of physical compenentry.
Read More: Hyundai Could Replace Battery Packs Of All Kona EVs In Korea Due To Fire Risk
Electrek reported last week that might even mean replacing the whole battery pack. Moreover, Hyundai might decide to switch the LG cells with ones from SK Innovation.
Recalls in South Korea, meanwhile, date back to October, when more than 25,000 of the EVs made between 2017 and 2020 were called back for a software update and battery replacement.
Reuters reported at the time that there had been 13 incidents of a fire involving a Kona EV, with one each in Austria and Canada.
Hyundai calls the recall a “proactive response to a suspected defective production of high-voltage batteries used in the vehicles, which may have contributed to the reported fires.”
We have reached out to Hyundai for further comment and will update this story when we hear back.
