In production since early 2023 for the 2024 model year, the second-generation Kona has been hit with another safety recall. Back in September, the South Korean automaker had to recall 2,354 vehicles due to defective rear seat belt assemblies. On this occasion, the 12-volt battery cables of 10,984 vehicles may chafe against the engine control module bracket.
This chafing may lead to a short circuit, which – obviously enough – increases the risk of an engine compartment fire. Hyundai Motor America was informed about this concern by the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety, with the nonprofit organization reporting an engine compartment fire after a crash test at 40 miles per hour (64 kph).
As per documents filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the IIHS observed smoke and flames coming from the Kona's engine compartment approximately two minutes after the frontal overlap crash test. IIHS also reports that the engine control module housing shorted to power and rising in temperature, reigniting the flames two additional instances after the initial fire. Yikes!
Despite being a terribly dangerous situation, someone at the IIHS made the call to disconnect the 12-volt battery as quickly as possible. The thermal activity ceased immediately afterward. The fiery event took place in November 2023. By the end of the month, the folks at Hyundai Motor America had already started investigating the test vehicle to find out what actually happened. During the inspection, HMA determined that the engine control module bracket was pushed directly into the positive battery cable.
Exposed wiring caused an electrical short, leading to the post-crash fires observed by the safety boffins at the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Fast forward to early December 2023, and Hyundai Motor America performed a follow-up inspection of the subject vehicle to validate the original verdict. Prior to issuing this recall, the South Korean automaker's US division further performed an IIHS-style crash test of a vehicle with protective cable sheathing.
Photo: Hyundai
HMA confirmed no damage to the positive cable, therefore meaning no electrical shorting. Based on this test, Hyundai Motor America decided to equip the aforementioned vehicle population with sheathing for the positive cable. This remedy was implemented in series production on December 18, meaning that vehicles produced after December 18 won't short in the event of a frontal overlap crash.
Recalled vehicles were produced with the 1.6-liter turbo four-cylinder engine between June 19 and December 18 at the South Korean automaker's Ulsan assembly plant. As standard, the US-spec Kona comes with a 2.0-liter naturally aspirated I4. Both the combustion-engined Kona and the all-electric sibling come from Korea, hence their 17-character VIN starting with the letter K.
Both dealers and owners will be informed about recall number 23V-901 no later than February 23, 2024. Other than the fiery event from November 2023, the automaker isn't aware of any warranty claims or field reports alleging chafing or shorting.
Front-wheel drive by default, the combustion-engined Kona is currently available to configure at $24,100 for the most basic of specifications. Don't go for that one, though, because opting for all-wheel drive gets you multi-link rear suspension as opposed to a torsion beam for front-wheel-drive versions. The only exception to this rule is the Kona Electric, which sports a multi-link rear end despite being FWD.
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
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