Hyundai Kona EV faces coolant leak issue; over 800 models affected

Hyundai has announced that it is recalling 853 units of the Kona EVs in the US owing to a coolant leak issue. The automaker has stated that an internal leak in the Electric Power Control Unit (EPCU) of select Koan EVs could result in a loss of power or even stall the vehicle. However, the South Korean automaker has also said that it is unaware of any mishaps due to the malfunction, but several reports of power loss have been notified. The car brand also said that the issue in the affected models would be fixed free of charge by its dealerships.

The affected Hyundai Kona EVs from the 2021 model year come equipped with an EPCU, which might have insufficient sealing at the DC converter housing. This fault was reportedly caused by inadequate steam cleaning during the production of the crucial component.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has stated in its recall document that the affected vehicles that experience the potential internal coolant leak could end up with contamination of the main controller, which could trigger the Kona EV's limited mobility ‘fail safe’ mode. It could result in a sudden loss of power or even a total stall for the vehicle. Some vehicle owners could receive a warning message on their driver information display depending on the contamination.

The car brand also claimed that it spotted the potential issue back in early November this year. After an internal investigation, Hyundai decided to move ahead with the recall by December 9 this year. However, dealers will not be notified about this recall until February 14 next year. The automaker will also inform the affected owners about the recall at the same time. Hyundai sells the Kona EV in India as well. It is not known if the India-spec model too is affected by the issue.