Hyundai and Kia Get Flooded With Complaints

Constant ICCU defects
How Long Will Free Repairs Continue?
Car Owners’ Dissatisfaction Finally Explodes

The ICCU ( Integrated Charging Control Unit) defect issue in Hyundai and Kia’s main electric vehicle models remains unresolved. It is known that when a problem occurs, the power supply inspection warning light turns on and the output decreases. As the electric vehicle’s speed decreases while driving on the highway, it can lead to an accident, so prompt action is needed.

Hyundai and Kia have been offering free repairs since last year, but related cases are not decreasing. This is why there are more and more opinions that the problem should be properly corrected through a recall rather than a free repair. Consumers were also concerned about repeated free repairs.

Free repairs have been processed, but the same problem still occurs

According to the industry, from January to February 19, there were 26 ICCU-related reports to the Korea Transportation Safety Authority’s Automobile Recall Center. Among them, IONIQ 5 had the most cases with 12, followed by 10 cases of IONIQ 6, 3 cases of Kia EV6, and 1 case of Genesis GV60.

On February 8, Kia announced that it would provide free repairs to 3,787 Ray EVs due to the possibility of overcurrent inside the ICCU. The number of electric vehicle owners complaining of this problem is rapidly increasing. The bigger problem is that the number of cases where the same problem reoccurs even after repairs have been carried out is increasing.

Also controversial overseas, will it lead to a large-scale recall?

Suspicions that Hyundai and Kia have been unable to find the cause of the ICCU problem have been raised. This issue is not only occurring in South Korea but also overseas, with the controversy rapidly spreading. According to data collected by users on the American social website Reddit, such cases occurred in as short as  250 miles ( about 400 km) of driving. Others were found to have driven between 12,427.42 miles (about 20,000 km) and 18,641.14 miles (about 30, 000 km) on average.

It is reported that the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is conducting a related investigation by referring to local cases. Since this is a common phenomenon in most of Hyundai Motor Group’s electric vehicles, if a defect is identified, it could lead to a large-scale recall. South Korean consumers also demanded that the manufacturer and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport conduct a recall rather than just a limited-time free repair.

Netizens react sharply to ICCU, a key player in power distribution

The ICCU plays a role in distributing power so that both the installed high-voltage battery and the 12V low-voltage battery can be charged. Since the V2L function, which uses the ICCU to supply power inside and outside the vehicle, is operated, if the ICCU does not function properly, various problems may occur.

Meanwhile, netizens who saw this expressed, “I’m too anxious to drive an electric vehicle“, ” The number of people reporting that their ICCU exploded is steadily increasing”, and “Are they unable to find the cause?” They continued, “Recall measures are needed”, “It is a problem directly related to safety, but the response is inadequate”, “Also, does it have to be recalled in the US first, so it can be recalled in South Korea as well??’, ‘Are electric vehicle owners subject to testing?’, and ‘Is this also insufficient?’