The South Korean authorities have ordered Hyundai to conduct another recall of the Kona Electric. This time, the service campaign also includes the Hyundai Nexo crossover, in which electricity is generated from hydrogen in fuel cells, and the Kia Soul EV electric car, Reuters reported.
The reason was a potential malfunction of the brakes, but not the mechanical part, but the control electronics' software. More details about the nature of the problem are not reported. However, all three cars have a similar energy recovery system during braking, and this process is mostly computerized.
In total, about 40 thousand electric Kona, released in 2019 and 2020, 10 thousand Nexos sold since 2018, and a total of 1895 Kia Soul EVs fall under the recall. Interestingly, the Kia Niro EV, built on the same platform as the Kona Electric, was not reviewed.
It is not yet clear whether the recall will affect vehicles sold in other countries. The automaker may prefer to update the software as part of a routine service.
This is the second major review for Kona Electric. Earlier, the concern was forced to announce a service campaign due to spontaneous combustion of batteries with LG Chem batteries, which affected 74 thousand electric vehicles worldwide.