Experiencing A Fire During A Collision Test, Hyundai Will Recall The Latest Kona By More Than 10 Thousand Units

Hyundai Kona. (Doc. Hyundai Motor Group)

JAKARTA - Launched in 2023, the beginning of Hyundai Kona's adventure was not smooth. After being faced with a recall due to seat belt problems in early October, this SUV must again face different problems.

Reporting from Carscoops, Saturday, December 30, the combustion engine (ICE) version of Hyundai Kona 2024 has conducted a hit test by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and problems are found in the engine.

After evaluating the front overlap test at a speed of 64 km/hour, the tester saw smoke coming out of the engine room and causing the flames to come out in that section.

After the fire was extinguished, the flames re-emerged for the second time and forced IIHS personnel to put it out again. It is reported that the incident ended after the 12V battery was fully lifted.

After the incident, IIHS and Hyundai decided to dismantle the entire part of the vehicle to find out the cause of the fire. During the search, both parties found the alternator and positive 12V cable damaged after the incident.

In addition, they found the Electronic Control Module (ECM) had been inserted into the positive cable, resulting in the ECM bracket shifted when the collision occurred and damaged the copper core of the cable. This is what triggers an electrical short circuit and causes a fire.

Then, Hyundai decided to fix it by adding a new shell on the positive side of the Kona battery to protect it in the event of an accident. The model will also conduct the next hit test with the repair.

With this incident, the South Korean manufacturer will contact 10,984 owners of Kona 2024 with 1.6 liters of TGDI engine who have the potential to experience the same problem. The company asks vehicle owners to take them to the nearest dealer network and put on a protective shield for free.