Hyundai to Recall Electric Vehicles to Replace Batteries

The new recalls come after an investigation into a Kona Electric vehicle that caught fire in Korea in January 2021, even though its battery management software had been updated as part of an earlier recall. A statement from MOLIT says that the fire was likely caused by a manufacturing defect found in batteries produced at a specific LG Chem factory.

According to Hyundai, a majority of the recalled vehicles will be Kona Electrics, although a small number of Ioniq Electric hatchbacks will also be included. Hyundai will notify owners “shortly,” according to the statement. Consumer Reports will update this article when more information about the recall becomes available.

Chevrolet is also in the process of recalling nearly 51,000 Bolt EVs after reports of vehicle fires. Those vehicles also use batteries from LG Chem, although they were manufactured in a different factory than the batteries in the Hyundai vehicles, and a spokesperson for Chevrolet told CR that they have a unique design. Chevrolet says that a software update that fixes the problem should be ready in April.

Although the Kia Niro EV and Soul EV share much of the same design as the Hyundai Kona EV, a Kia spokesperson told CR that Kia’s EVs use batteries supplied by SK Innovation, not LG Chem.