Hyundai Kona EV recall forthcoming as a result of battery fires
Following a recall in Korea, the carmaker said it's filing a voluntary recall with NHTSA in the US.
Following a handful of reported Hyundai Kona EV battery fires, the automaker issued a recall for a potential fire risk in its home country of South Korea. Reuters first reported on the recall on Thursday and said a total of 25,564 of the electric crossovers are included.
Roadshow received confirmation from Hyundai that it will also conduct a recall for the electric car in the US. The automaker said it's in the final stages of filing a voluntary recall for the Kona EV with NHTSA, though it declined to provide further details. We don't know if the recall will cover the same issues mentioned in the Korean recall, nor how many cars will be involved. Owner notices for the recall will go out soon.
In Korea, Hyundai said the fix will include software updates, but following vehicle inspections, some Kona EVs may receive brand-new battery packs. Hyundai has remained quiet on the possible battery issue after a reported Kona EV fire in South Korea this past May and another possible battery fire in Canada that led to an explosion.
Hyundai previously told Roadshow it released a battery management software update following these incidents and didn't comment on the fire investigations this past June.
LG Chem supplies batteries for the electric crossover and told Reuters in a statement a reenactment of the event leading up to the Korean fire did not produce the same result, which led it to conclude battery cells were not the cause of the fire. It still plans to investigate the issue with Hyundai, however. LG Chem did not return Roadshow's request for comment.
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