The Tesla Model 3-rivaling Hyundai Ioniq 6 has been hit with a safety recall in the United States of America. Documents filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reveal that a couple of units may have been produced with improperly tightened different bolts, a condition that may cause the diff to lock up while driving.
Sister brand Kia recalled eight vehicles over said problem, split between four units of the Niro EV and four units of the EV9. Their production dates range from November 2022 to May 2023 and October 2023 to December 2023. As for the Ioniq 6, that's August 19, 2023 to August 21, 2023.
The part number of the rear motor-gear drive unit assembly is 44000-18NB0, and the supplier is Hyundai Transys. As implied, the company is a subsidiary of the Hyundai Motor Group. The subsidiary was born in 2019 after merging Hyundai Powertech and Hyundai DYMOS.
Hyundai Motor Company, which is the mothership in South Korea, started looking into the aforementioned loose differential gear bolts on March 5, 2024. At the time, HMC was aware of two claims involving Kia vehicles that exhibited abnormal noises coming from the rear motor-gear drive unit. By month's end, HMC confirmed a mis-shipment of MGDU assemblies intended for rework by the (unnamed) differential gear supplier.
Further investigation revealed that five Ioniq 6 vehicles equipped with insufficiently tightened MGDU gear bolts had been delivered to the United States and Canada. Of those, two were sold in the United States of America. The folks at Hyundai Motor America further stated that both subject vehicles are all-wheel drive rather than RWD.
Photo: Hyundai
No incidents attributable to said condition have been reported in the United States of America thus far, but nevertheless, Hyundai Motor America has to repair those vehicles due to the increased risk of a crash from differential lock-up or loss of drive power. Unfortunately, the automaker hasn't provided the VINs of the recalled vehicles.
No later than June 18, dealers nationwide will be instructed to replace the motor-gear drive unit with a properly manufactured assembly. June 18 is also when the affected owners will be informed about said recall. If you own a 2024 model year Hyundai Ioniq 6 specified with dual motors, you might want to run the VIN on the automaker's website.
Pompously advertised as being "a breakthrough electric sedan" because of the aerodynamic design, 800-volt electrical architecture, and a plethora of clever technologies, the Ioniq 6 starts at $37,500 (sans destination charge) in the United States. The highlight numbers are up to 361 miles (make that 581 kilometers) of driving range, up to 320 horsepower, and wheels no larger than 20 inches.
Longer overall and in terms of wheelbase than the Tesla Model 3, the Ioniq 6 moved 12,999 units in the US of A last year, plus a further 3,646 units in the last quarter. Peanuts in comparison to the Model 3, and the Ioniq 5 crossover also happens to be more popular than the Ioniq 6 due to its body style.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?
Google News