Hyundai and Kia Recall 19,743 Electric Vehicles Due to Software Issue
A total of 19,743 Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Kia EV6 electric cars are being recalled from the market due to concerning software issues.
Separate recall notices from Hyundai and Kia state that a “software error in the Shift Control Unit” in the affected vehicles could disable the parking function, allowing the vehicles to roll. This could occur due to a voltage fluctuation when a vehicle is turned off and parked, potentially disrupting the signal from the shift control unit to the parking mechanism.
The recalls cover 10,729 Hyundai vehicles and 9,014 Kia vehicles. The Ioniq 5 and EV6 share the E-GMP platform, and there is also significant component and software exchange between the two models. Hyundai also informed the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) that the 2023 Genesis GV60 and G80 EV use the same parking mechanism.
Owners will be notified when to take their cars to dealerships for a free update of the shift control unit software. Until then, owners are advised to park their vehicles on level ground whenever possible.
While this is a software issue, it is noteworthy that Kia and Hyundai still cannot implement wireless solutions or updates in powertrain or safety systems, although the E-GMP platform is capable of doing so.
For years, Tesla has been able to address issues that would otherwise require a physical service visit by implementing a wireless firmware solution, although Tesla sometimes needs to remedy recalls with service center visits. For example, a recall for the Model 3 and Model Y issued last year required service centers to physically inspect brake caliper bolts that could have loosened.
