SEOUL, (Reuters) – Hyundai Motor Co (005380.KS), opens new tab and sister company Kia Corp (000270.KS), opens new tab will recall about 170,000 electric vehicles (EVs) in South Korea over problems with software in the charging systems, South Korea’s transport ministry said on Thursday.
Hyundai will recall 113,916 EVs in the country, affecting five EV models, including Ioniq-series and Genesis models, the ministry said.
Kia will recall 56,016 EVs.
Errors have been found in software of the integrated charging control units used in 170,000 Hyundai and Kia EVs, which could make it difficult to power a low-voltage battery and lead to the possibility that the vehicles could stop while driving, the ministry said.
“Hyundai Motor and Kia will take prompt actions to prevent customer inconvenience and will continue to prioritize the safety of our customers and their vehicles,” Hyundai Motor Group said in a statement.
The voluntary recalls are due to start on March 18.
(This story has been corrected to change the number of Hyundai vehicles from 169,332 to 113,916 in paragraph 2)
Reporting by Heekyong Yang Editing by David Goodman
