SEOUL (SOUTH KOREA) – After the electric vehicle Kona from Hyundai Motor caught fire last week despite a recall, authorities are moving in to investigate the adequacy of the recall, South Korean transport ministry official said. A series of fires prompted mass recalls of Hyundai’s best-selling Kona EV in South Korea in October.
The latest Kona fire, on Saturday in the city of Daegu, is among 11 reported so far in the country. However, this incident was different as it was the first Kona EV to catch fire after recall process, the official said on Tuesday.
Hyundai has recalled 25,564 Kona EVs built between September 2017 to March 2020 due to the risk of short circuit possibly caused by faulty manufacturing of its high-voltage battery cells.
Some of the recalled vehicles received software updates and some receive battery replacements after inspection.
The recalled Kona that caught fire had only received a software update but no battery replacement, said a source.
Korea Automobile Testing & Research Institute, which has been investigating the fires, is now looking into the adequacy of Hyundai’s voluntary recall process, the official and an institute official said.
Hyundai is expected to launch a new electric vehicle, the Ioniq 5 next month.
