Hyundai, Kia to recall 170,000 EVs over power loss concerns

Hyundai Motor and Kia are recalling around 170,000 EVs over possible sudden power loss, impacting some Ioniq 5s and Genesis GV60s.

Hyundai Motor employees produce the Ioniq 5s at its plant in Indonesia. [HYUNDAI MOTOR]

Hyundai Motor and Kia are recalling around 170,000 EVs over possible sudden power loss, impacting some Ioniq 5s and Genesis GV60s.

It will be the largest EV recall since 2021.

The Transport Ministry said Thursday that Hyundai Motor will voluntarily recall 113,916 five EV models including the Ioniq 5, Ioniq 6 and Genesis GV60 for "errors in Integrated Control Charging Unit (ICCU)," a component that powers both the hybrid vehicle battery and the low-voltage battery.

Genesis GV60 [HYUNDAI MOTOR]

The issue with the ICCU makes the car unavailable for 12-volt battery charging and can lead to sudden power loss, the Transport Ministry explained.

A total of 56,016 Kia EV6s will be recalled with the same issue.

The latest recall will impact around 170,000 EVs in Korea and around 600,000 EVs globally.

The recall will start on March 18.

"With the recalled vehicles, we will update the software, and if any faulty issues are detected, ICCUs will be replaced for free," Hyundai Motor said.

Kia’s EV6s are made at its plant in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi [KIA]

The recall comes after years of customer complaints about ICCU issues. Hyundai Motor last year offered free parts replacement for customers who reported cases.

Grievances over the ICCU have been ubiquitous on social media, with owners sharing photos of the error that was caused by the part.

"My car stopped after the battery died and I had to call the service center to tow my car," read a post written by an Ioniq 5 owner, who also shared a photo of the car displaying a warning that said "please stop the car in a safe zone to check the power supply unit."

The vehicle-to-load function, which enables owners to charge and power other devices with interior and exterior power outlets, is also run through the ICCU.

The U.S. government has been investigating the issue since last year.

The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said in a preliminary summary that it “learned that the failure is related to the ICCU, which is responsible for powering both the hybrid battery and low voltage 12-volt battery," and warned that "over-current within the ICCU can damage transistors.”

The recall will likely impact the automaker's growth in the global EV market.

Hyundai and Kia sold a total of 516,441 EVs worldwide last year, up 39 percent on year. Of them, 78.3 percent came from overseas markets.

In the U.S. market, the auto group sold some 94,000 EVs, grabbing 8 percent of the market share to become the No. 2 EV maker after Tesla.

On Thursday, the Transport Ministry also said Hyundai Motor will recall 61,131 Avante sedans related to headlight issues and Kia will recall 126 Ray minivans over airbag concerns.

Stellantis will recall 527 Jeep Cherokee SUVs for faulty backup lights and 148 Jeep Wrangler SUVs for battery problems.

Tesla will recall 136 Model 3s Ys for poor safety features as they fail to alarm pedestrians while the car drives in reverse or at low speeds.

Owners subject to the recalls will be notified individually by the manufacturers.

BY SARAH CHEA [chea.sarah@joongang.co.kr]