5 carmakers to recall over 76,000 vehicles for faulty parts

Seoul:  Kia, BMW Korea and three other carmakers will voluntarily recall more than 76,000 vehicles to fix faulty components, the transport ministry here said on Wednesday.

The five companies, including Renault Korea Motors Co., Tesla Korea and Jaguar Land Rover Korea, are recalling a combined 76,382 units of 37 different models, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said in a press release.

The problems that prompted the recall include a faulty air bag system in Kia’s Niro electric vehicle (EV), problems in the cooling pump wire connector of BMW’s 528i sedan and transformer software problems in Renault Korea’s Arkana sport utility vehicle (SUV), according to the ministry, reports Yonhap news agency.

Tesla will recall a faulty electric power assisted steering (EPAS) system in the Model Y SUV, it said.

Vehicle owners can check the government’s homepage at www.car.go.kr or call 080-357-2500 to see if their vehicles are subject to the recall, the ministry said.

Last month, Hyundai Motor, Kia and two other carmakers announced to voluntarily recall over 340,000 vehicles due to faulty components.

The four companies, including Mercedes-Benz Korea and Tesla Korea, recalled a combined 343,250 units of 11 different models, the ministry said.

Hyundai Motor recalled 141,125 units of two models, including the Porter II Electric, due to a design error in the battery sensor. Additionally, 19,830 units of the Nexo were recalled for a defect in the emergency light switch.

Kia’s Sorento Hybrid and one other model, involving 89,598 units, underwent corrective measures due to a software error.

The number of vehicles voluntarily recalled by automakers in South Korea reached an all-time high last year, with nearly 80 per cent attributed to domestic giant Hyundai Motor Group.

A total of 5.12 million units across 1,684 different models were subject to recalls due to defects, according to the Korea Road Traffic Authority. Hyundai Motor Co. and Kia Corp. accounted for a combined 4.07 million units, representing 79.2 per cent of the total.

—IANS