A fault in the battery system of several Hyundai EVs could cause the Ioniq 5 and others to lose motive power
The Hyundai Motor Group is launching a large-scale recall of several electric vehicles from its three brands. The campaign is so far limited to the South Korean market and attempts to resolve an issue with the integrated charge control unit (ICCU).
The recall affects electric vehicles based on the E-GMP platform, including the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Ioniq 6, the Genesis GV60, GV70 and G80 EVs, as well as the Kia EV6. In total, the company needs to repair 169,932 vehicles in South Korea whose ICCUs may be defective, causing the vehicles to lose power en route.
That makes this the largest recall of vehicles based on the electric-only E-GMP platform since its launch in 2021, according to Business Korea. However, if Hyundai decides to expand the recall to other markets, it may have to order as many as 500,000 additional vehicles recall.
Read: Another month, another Jaguar I-Pace recall, another fire risk
Complaints also in the US
And there is reason to believe that this could be the case. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) opened an investigation into the ICCUs of these vehicles in June 2023. The preliminary report shows that overcurrent may occur in the component, damaging the transistors and preventing the 12V battery from being charged.
NHTSA says it has received 30 complaints in the US about this problem. Owners report hearing a loud popping sound followed by a warning message on their dashboard. While some owners only experienced a reduction in power, others lost it completely.
Hyundai and Kia have been aware of this problem for a while and have been offering free repairs to owners since last year, per Business Korea. However, the company has now decided to initiate a recall campaign as reports of power losses continue to pour in.
To fix the problem, the Hyundai group plans to install a software update in all affected vehicles. Where necessary, it will also completely replace the ICCU.
Hyundai is no stranger to massive electric vehicle recalls. In 2021, the life of the first generation Kona EV was ended in South Korea following a recall of approximately 100,000 vehicles worldwide. However, in that case, the problem that caused the campaign and deteriorated the vehicle’s reputation was an increased fire risk. There is no indication that the ICCU issue could have a similar outcome.
