Almost 8000 Hyundai, Kia and Genesis electric vehicles (EVs) have been recalled in Australia for a fault which can cause a complete loss of power, affecting almost every battery-powered model sold by the brands.
The recall affects 3948 Kia EV6s, 3521 Hyundai Ioniq 5s and Ioniq 6s, as well as 528 Genesis GV60, Electrified GV70 and Electrified G80s.
It’s understood this encompasses every example of the aforementioned EVs sold in Australia.
Almost 170,000 Hyundai Motor Group EVs were recalled for the same fault in South Korea last month. Should the recall continue to expand globally, as many as 500,000 vehicles could be affected.
The Australian recall notices for the Hyundai, Kia and Genesis models state a fault with the Integrated Charging Control Unit (ICCU) could cause the 12-volt battery to stop charging.
This can eventually lead to a loss of power if the relevant warning light is ignored, increasing the risk of an accident.
According to the recall notices, owners have been advised to get in contact with their preferred dealer to have the fault rectified, which involves having the ICCU software upgraded and the ICCU inspected and replaced, if required.
All of this will be completed by the dealer, free of charge.
While the EVs are capable of receiving over-the-air (OTA) updates, it’s understood this is limited to infotainment system software changes, rather than the actual vehicle functions.
Despite the Kia EV9 being based on the same EV platform as the EV6 and Hyundai’s Ioniq 5 and Ioniq 6 models, the large SUV is not affected by the recall.
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