Hyundai recalls Kona electric vehicles over battery fire risk

Hyundai has announced the recall of 76,000 Kona EVs built between 2018 and 2020 after more than a dozen reported fires related to the electric SUV’s battery pack.

This is the second recall of the Kona EV after the first global recall whose fault will cost Hyundai around $900 million to fix.

The Kona was also recently launched in Lagos and Abuja with fanfare and was followed up last week with the media launch of the petrol version.

Specifically, it says it is recalling some Ioniq EVs and electric buses built between November 2017 and March 2020 that use the same LG Chem cells.

In total, the automaker is recalling 82,000 vehicles, according a report by MSN Auto contributed by auto platform, The Verge.

Hyundai and LG Chem have decided to completely replace the batteries in these vehicles instead of trying to solve the issue through software updates, according to the Financial Times.

The recall is starting in South Korea, but Hyundai Motor North America told The Verge it would “be taking a similar action in the US and Canada.”

“We are working closely with NHTSA and Transport Canada on the recall and will communicate the details to affected customers shortly,” the company said.

Reports of Kona EVs catching fire date back as far as mid-2019, and at least 15 have been documented, including one vehicle that was already called in for repair.

The issue allegedly has to do with the material that separates the cell’s cathode and anode, though an official investigation in South Korea is still ongoing.

General Motors recently recalled nearly 70,000 Chevy Bolts that use LG Chem batteries after reports of fires, though the automaker clarified to InsideEVs that it uses a different cell than the one in the Kona EV.

News of the recall comes just one day after Hyundai unveiled the Ioniq 5 crossover SUV, which will be the first EV built on the company’s new electric vehicle platform.