South Korea orders recall of 260,000 vehicles including Hyundai and Kia models over fire risks and engine shutdown defects
SEOUL: South Korea’s government has announced a major vehicle recall affecting more than 260,000 cars due to manufacturing defects.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport stated that 260,184 vehicles across 57 models will be voluntarily recalled.
Hyundai Motor Group accounts for more than 180,000 of the recalled vehicles in this safety action.
Hyundai Motor will recall 85,355 units of its Porter II Electric model starting October 30.
This recall addresses a potential fire risk caused by a design flaw in the battery management system software.
Kia, as a subsidiary of Hyundai Motors, will also begin recalling 54,532 units of its Bongo III EV model from October 30.
The Kia recall similarly addresses the software defect that could lead to dangerous vehicle fires.
Other recalled Hyundai models include the Tucson due to a design flaw in fuel filter components.
Kia’s Seltos model is also being recalled over a similar defect that could cause unexpected engine shutdown.
The ministry’s announcement follows growing safety concerns about vehicle defects in South Korea.
An electric vehicle battery fire incident last year damaged hundreds of vehicles and created national panic.
That previous incident led to widespread parking restrictions and calls for greater battery supply chain transparency.
South Korea remains a major global producer of both batteries and electric vehicles.
Electric vehicles constituted 9.3% of new car purchases in South Korea last year.
This EV adoption rate exceeds the comparable figure for the United States market. – AFP
