The battery-powered Hyundai Kona Electric and hydrogen fuel-cell Hyundai Nexo crossovers are being recalled over a potential issue with a brake booster shared by both models.
The recall, which includes Kona Electric crossovers from model years 2019 through 2021, and Nexo crossovers from model years 2019 and 2020, is due to a possible defect with the Integrated Electronic Brake system, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
In 8,176 affected vehicles, the IEB detects an abnormal sensor signal, and reduces braking power, according to the NHTSA recall report.
The solution is a software update that maintains braking performance when a fault is detected. It was introduced as a production running change for the Nexo in October 2020, and for the Kona Electric in November 2020, the report said.
2021 Hyundai Nexo
Hyundai Motor America will notify owners of affected vehicles, who will be able to take those vehicles to dealerships to have the software update installed free of charge. The recall is expected to begin on January 22, 2021.
Owners can call Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460, and reference recall number 199, for more information. Alternatively, owners can call the NHTSA Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-800-424-9153, or go to the agency's safercar.gov website, and reference campaign number 20V748000.
Last year, Hyundai issued a recall and stop-sale order for 2019 and 2020 Kona Electric models due to an issue that could have caused battery short circuits. However, 2021 models were not affected by that recall.
Hyundai is about to relaunch Ioniq as an EV sub-brand, but it will carry on the Kona Electric and smaller EVs that ride on internal combustion platforms. Meanwhile the technology in the Nexo could be extended to pickups and SUVs with the new platform—potentially in combination with batteries.
