Hyundai, Kia Electric Car Recalls Affect More Than 200,000 Genesis, Ioniq and EV6 Vehicles

Manufacturers are expanding a previous electric vehicle recall, after the original repair solution did not appear to work.

Federal highway safety officials have announced electric car recalls impacting Kia EV6, Hyundai Genesis and Hyundai Ioniq vehicles from the 2022 to 2025 model years, which may contain damaged charging units that could cause a sudden loss of power, potentially increasing the risk of an auto accident.

Two separate notices were posted by the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) on November 21, including a Kia recall impacting 62,872 EV6 electric vehicles and a Hyundai recall impacting 145,235 Genesis and Ioniq electric cars, warning that certain vehicles equipped with an Integrated Charging Control Unit (ICCU) may experience damage that prevents the 12-volt battery from charging, potentially resulting in a loss of driving power.

The ICCU is responsible for charging the vehicle’s auxiliary battery and powering low-voltage accessory equipment. However, under certain conditions, the ICCU in the affected vehicles may blow a fuse, preventing it from charging. If this occurs, it may lead to the battery becoming fully depleted, at which point the car could lose all driving power.

The following Hyundai and Kia vehicles are impacted by the electric car recall:

• 2023-2024 Hyundai Genesis G80 EV
• 2023-2025 Hyundai Genesis GV60
• 2023-2025 Hyundai Genesis GV70 EV
• 2022-2024 Hyundai Ioniq 5
• 2023-2025 Hyundai Ioniq 6
• 2022-2024 Kia EV6

The manufacturers advise drivers to look for warning indications that may signal an impending loss of motive power, such as illuminations on the dashboard, audible chimes, warning messages or noticeable decreases in the vehicle’s power or speed.

Customers may notice that when their car’s computer systems detect the fault, the vehicle will enter a “fail-safe” driving mode, where airbags, braking and powered steering remain operational.

The NHTSA reports that Kia and Hyundai have not identified any accidents or injuries related to the defect.

Previous Hyundai and Kia Recalls

This new recall follows ones made in March 2024, when Kia recalled 48,232 EV6 vehicles and Hyundai recalled 98,878 Ioniq and Genesis vehicles for the same issue.

Hyundai Motor Company (HMC) first became aware of issues concerning certain Genesis and Ioniq vehicles in October 2022, when warranty claims identified heat damage to ICCU transistors in the vehicles.

HMC was then notified in April 2023 that some Genesis and Ioniq vehicles were reporting a loss of driving power. In May 2023, the ICCU was identified as the cause. After further investigation and testing, the manufacturer conducted a safety recall in March 2024 with instructions to obtain updated ICCU software.

Kia North America (Kia NA) was first notified about issues regarding the ICCU in certain EV6 vehicles by the company’s Safety Office in May 2023. The company then conducted a voluntary service campaign for the affected vehicles after receiving reports of driving power losses without warnings.

After further investigation and 34 reports of a loss of driving power, Kia NA conducted a recall of all 2022-2024 Kia EV6 vehicles in March 2024 with instructions to obtain updated ICCU software.

New Kia and Hyundai Recalls

Despite the previous recall, Kia has received an additional 88 reports, and Hyundai has received another 57 reports of similar issues between March 25 and November 5, 2024, including vehicles that had the previous recall fix performed on them.

This has led the manufacturers to conduct the current recall for all affected vehicles, including those involved in the previous recall.

Notification letters will be sent to Kia owners on December 13, and Hyundai owners on January 17, with instructions on how to schedule a free ICCU software update at their local dealer.

The software associated with these recalls applies specifically to the LDL output voltage “soft start” that prevents overvoltage at the start and end of the battery charging cycle.

Any vehicle owners who have already had this service performed at their own expense may be eligible for reimbursement, in accordance with each manufacturer’s reimbursement plan.

Kia’s number for this recall is SC327. Customers can contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542.

Hyundai’s numbers for this recall are 272 (Hyundai) and 025G (Genesis). Customers can contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460 or Genesis customer service at 1-844-340-9741.

Both companies’ contact for this recall is Emily C. Smith, who can be reached via email at emily.c.smith@dot.gov.

Owners with any additional questions can also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.nhtsa.gov.