Battery maker LG Chem and Hyundai Motor are at odds regarding what has caused the vehicles to catch on fire. More than 100,000 Kona EVs have been sold worldwide since 2018. The Kona is the second-best-selling EV in Korea after Tesla’s Model 3.
Including the latest incident in which a Kona EV burst into flames in a Daegu parking lot, there have been 12 reports worldwide of the vehicles catching fire, according to a report submitted to a Democratic Party (DP) lawmaker from the Korea Transportation Safety Authority. The automaker plans to investigate any anomalies in the batteries after updating its battery management system, and says it will replace them if there are any signs of damage, including significant changes in battery temperature. Hyundai Motor America has reportedly submitted plans to voluntarily recall all Kona EVs sold in the United States with the country's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. A total of 77,748 Kona EVs were sold outside of Korea, with Europe accounting for the largest regional share at 48 percent. Cars will be recalled in one region after another, beginning as early as next week. In total, 77,067 Kona EVs sold will be subject to the expanded recall, which applies only to those manufactured in Korea. This is 70 percent of Hyundai's Kona EVs sold internationally, as of the first half of 2020. Hyundai Motor will voluntarily recall some 51,000 fire-prone Kona electric vehicles (EVs) sold in international markets, the company announced Sunday, following last week's decision to recall Kona vehicles sold in Korea. Firefighters douse flames erupting from a Hyundai Kona electric vehicle that burst into flames last July near an office in Gangneung, Gangwon.