Latest Kona EV kerfuffle not the first glitch

Requirement to change the Kona EV’s battery has a familiar ring to some NZ owners.

The Kona EV battery effectively fills out the entire floor area.

A PROBABLE recall that demands replacing the lithium ion battery that powers in Hyundai’s highest-profile electric car seems set to hit hundreds of Kiwi owners, including a handful for whom this could well seem deja vu.

Comment from electric vehicle owners about yesterday’s MotoringNZ story relating how Hyundai is moving toward recalling its Kona electric car internationally – and potentially also at least some examples of the battery-pure version of the Ioniq – following a spate of fires in South Korea, has drawn attention to the Kona already being subject to a remedial action here that began five months ago, is only now wrapping up and also sometimes demands the same extreme action of a complete battery exchange.

In November, Hyundai New Zealand recalled 724 Kona EVs it had sold, having been advised by the factory that "the lithium-ion battery may have internal damage or the battery management system control software may cause an electrical short circuit after charging" which could result in a fire.

It is unclear if this is the same fault at the centre of the recent fires overseas.

The immediate remedy for this was to change the battery management system and, if that did not work, Hyundai advised the same procedure it proposes for this new recall – pulling out the battery, a hefty and large item which completely fills out under the floor and is all but a structural component, and replacing it.

Hyundai NZ has said it awaiting confirmation that the Kona EV will be recalled again, however reports from overseas say this is a given and from the tenor of comment it has offered, the local distributor also seemed resigned.

This latest action is a whopper. It is expected to cost $US900 million to execute, a sum that makes it the most expensive recall involving an EV so far, and will cover 82,000 vehicles worldwide.

Conceivably, it will draw in the NZ cars involved in last year’s recall. These were built between September 29, 2017, and March, 20, 2020.

It is thought many were put right with an update to the battery management software. However not all these examples were remedied that easily.

the updated Kona, due to come here later this year, has the same battery pack as cars likely to be recalled.

MotoringNZ has spoken with a North Island Kona owner whose car, bought in 2018, was off the road from early December until mid-February while it awaited a battery replacement. His vehicle has since faulted again. Learning that it might require yet another battery was exasperating news. 

Kimberley Waters, a spokeswoman for Hyundai NZ, explained the original action.

“We updated the BMS software to allow for detection of abnormalities in the high-voltage battery system while parked.

 “If the software detected any early electronics deficiencies a full battery replacement was required.

“We are 96 percent through the initial recall and through the inspection process some Li-ion batteries were identified as needing replacing.”

The latest action has resulted after a Korean government investigation into why Hyundai EVs – which included a bus as well as some cars - were catching fire. That probe revealed the possibility of short circuits in certain defective battery cells produced by the supplier, LG Energy Solution.

According to Reuters news agency, the battery maker and automaker are currently hashing out a deal to split the cost associated with completely replacing batteries for the EVs.

It's not clear if this news will push back the arrival of the updated Kona EV, which has already been revealed globally and was supposed to arrive in New Zealand this year. The refreshed car boasts an updated design, but its electric powertrain continues unchanged.

Tucson recall pending, Hyundai NZ says

One of the Korean make’s best-sellers has a fault that could cause a fire – it’s been recalled elsewhere; NZ is awaiting information from Seoul.

 NEW Zealand’s Hyundai distributor will involve in a recall of a popular model to address a possible fire risk due to a manufacturing error - just as soon as head office in South Korea identifies how many cars are affected. 

Hyundai New Zealand has given this explanation after being asked why is has yet to publicise a remedial action for the Tucson compact sports utility highly-favoured by Kiwis. 

The car has been subject to a recall elsewhere and it has become big news. The brand in Australia is advising owners to park the vehicles in an open space away from garages and flammable materials due to fears of the car's engine catching fire, even when the vehicle is turned off.

 The fault is with current generation cars built from November 2014 to November 2020.

It has been traced to a potential issue in the electronic circuit board in the Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS) module. This may short circuit when the components are exposed to moisture. This can occur even when the engine is switched off because there is constant power supply to the component. As a remedy, Hyundai has developed a relay kit to prevent a power surge.

The make issued its bulletin, initially in the United States – where a dozen cars have caught fire – and most recently in Australia, where 93,000 vehicles are involved. Our neighbour announced its recall last week.

Hyundai NZ says it is aware of the issue and the sales network has been given a heads-up; but that’s it so far.

“Whilst we are aware of this recall, we have not yet received official communication from Hyundai Motor Company regarding the vehicles affected in New Zealand,” explained Kimberley Waters, the Auckland-based brand’s spokeswoman, in an email yesterday responding to questions sent on Monday about an apparent lack of action.

“Customer safety is paramount. We have already taken steps to communicate this expected recall with our dealer network, update our website and brief in our Customer Experience team should our customers have queries.

“As soon as we receive official notification of the vehicles affected in New Zealand we will initiate our recall process and contact those customers affected to arrange for their vehicle to be booked in and repaired.”

“We have had no reports of any incidents related to this recall issue. Whilst customers are able to continue driving their vehicle we will be advising them if their Tucson displays any warning lamp on the cluster, to stop driving and contact Hyundai Roadside Assistance on 0800 498 632.” 

The issue has been sensationalised in some overseas media, with reports the fault will cause the cars to "explode".

The remedial action might take some time to process; Hyundai in Australia has said it expects the replacement part required for its cars to start arriving in late February but has warned all 93,000 replacement components won't arrive at once as it takes time to produce them.

 The fix itself is straightforward – it’s fitting a fuse repair kit – and quick. Hyundai Australia cites the job taking about 40 minutes.

Hyundai Korea’s advice says it is safe to continue driving the vehicles and that the brakes will still work as normal.

Meantime, it is set to release a new generation Tucson here soon.

Electric-assisted Escape delayed until late 2021

A battery issue is not the only reason why PHEV Escape is now going to land much later than expected.

A battery fire risk that has caused a New Zealand-promised plug-in hybrid flagship of the new Ford Escape to be temporarily pulled from production is not the only reason why it won’t be here in January, as planned.

Ford New Zealand managing director Simon Rutherford now picks a model promised in a base front-drive and a high-end four-wheel-drive will now arrive in late 2021.

Rutherford said although customers have shown interest in the highly-anticipated model, no orders or deposits had been taken.

He cannot say if the prices - $58,990 for the front-drive and $64,990 for the top spec – announced some months ago will still hold when the car finally arrives.

The car has made headlines recently for being pulled out of production due to risk its lithium ion batteries might catch fire. Yet Rutherford said Ford having prioritised production for Europe – where the fire issue was exposed – had already stymied the original release programme for NZ.

As is, Ford has four petrol Escapes, all powered by a common 2.0-litre engine, in the market, these comprising a $42,990 front-drive base model simply called Escape, a mid-grade ST-Line in front ($47,990) and all-wheel-drive ($50,990), and a ST Line X, at $55,990.

 Rutherford says while it’s disappointing not to have a plug-in hybrid model here, it was more important that the battery issue was rectified.

That situation became public in August, when Ford in Europe advised drivers that they should not charge their vehicles and drive them in the EV Auto mode due to danger of the battery cells catching fire, due to overheating. 

The make’s response to the problem, which arose with cars in Spain, where NZ-market Escapes in all formats are built, has been dramatic.

Production has stopped and 20,500 delivered vehicles have been recalled. Plans to build the car in the United States have also been postponed until next year.

Ford says the problem is not with the car’s design, but with the battery. This comes from the same supplier that is used by BMW, which has also just recalled its plug-in hybrid cars because of operability issues. Overseas reports have traced the issue back to one of the battery pack’s control modules.

What also hurts Ford is that the PHEV has been a big success.

The Escape plug-in, which badges as a Kuga in Europe, and a PHEV version of the Ford Puma that has also just launched in NZ (as a 1.0-litre petrol) have been strong sellers in Europe, where electric vehicles have risen so much in popularity that they historically outsold diesel cars for the first time in September

The 14.4kWh battery in question provides an electric-only driving range of more than 50km and claimed fuel consumption on the combined-cycle test is 1.5 litres per 100km.

The PHEVs are powered by a 2.5-litre four-cylinder Atkinson-cycle petrol engine paired with an electric motor and generator which draw power from the battery. Combined maximum power is rated at 167kW.

The petrol-pure editions are motivated by an updated version of the brand’s turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder ‘EcoBoost’ petrol engine, now good for 183kW/387Nm.

Drive is sent to either the front or all four wheels via an eight-speed automatic transmission.

NZ pulled into BMW PHEV fire risk recall

An urgent global remedial action for plug-in hybrid BMWs and MINI cars has hit this market.

JUST a handful of plug-in hybrid BMW cars in New Zealand are thought to be drawn into a battery pack problem which could result in a short circuit and potentially cause a fire.

The maker has nonetheless issued a widespread recall for all of its plug-in hybrid vehicles.

The list of affected models includes the X1, X2, X3 and X5 SUVs, the 3, 5 and 7 Series saloons, the 2 Series Active Tourer, the i8 and the MINI Countryman.

The recall applies to any of these PHEV models that were built between 20 January and 18 September this year.

BMW estimates roughly 26,700 vehicles have been affected worldwide, but it seems just 12 of these are in this country.

Comment in respect to the New Zealand situation has come from BMW’s regional head office in Australia.

“We can confirm this safety recall relates to a small limited amount of PHEV variants of the BMW 3 Series, 3 Series Touring, X1, X2, X3, X5, 2 Series Active Tourer, 7 Series, 5 Series, 5 Series Touring and MINI Countryman models,” a spokesman related today.

“An inspection of the parts involved is currently being carried out.”

Any customer who wishes to check if their car is affected by a recall can visit the recalls section of the BMW New Zealand website now and key in their 17-digit VIN numbers to find out. 

Asked how many vehicles were subject to the recall, he said the count was 12, and all owners have been contacted. 

“Replacement loaned vehicles have been provided to these customers while their vehicle currently undergoes an inspection.” 

The initial remedial action comprised a 30 minute quality inspection. “Further action may be taken if needed.”

The spokesman did not respond to the proposal that some vehicles are expected to be off the road for weeks, due to delay in securing components.

Asked if BMW/MINI has suspended sale of PHEV product and what impact, if any, this issue had on the brand’s fully electric cars, the BMW i3 and the e-Mini, the spokesman responded: “This action does not affect full EVs, only PHEV models listed. This safety precaution recall does not affect all PHEV products. 

“It affects only a small amount of vehicles from one specific production line produced in the period 13/03/2020 – 06/08/2020.”

BMW Germany announced overnight its engineers have found some discrepancies in the manufacturing process of its battery packs, which the company sources from the third-party supplier Northvolt. 

The concern is that foreign contaminants may have been sealed into the units during their assembly, which have the potential to short circuit the battery pack and cause a fire.

A spokesperson for the brand in Germany said: "BMW Group has launched a worldwide safety recall and stopped delivery of a small number of plug-in hybrid vehicles as a preventative measure to check the high voltage battery.

“Internal analysis has shown that in very rare cases particles may have entered the battery during the production process.  

“When the battery is fully charged this could lead to a short circuit within the battery cells, which may lead to a fire. BMW apologises for the inconvenience caused to customers, but of course safety must come first."

German media reports that a fix is expected to start being rolled out by the end of the month. 

It is not the first recall to affect BMW's plug-in models. All of the above models bar the i8 were subject to a recall earlier this year to remove welding beads left on the battery.

Of course, BMW isn’t the only company plagued by battery-motivated recall issues, though. Ford, who uses the same battery supplier as BMW, issued a similar notice for the Escape PHEV after four vehicles short circuited and caught fire. 

Hyundai also issued a  recall for the Kona Electric after 16 reported cases of cars catching fire, which forced the Korean brand to recall more than 25,000 vehicles in South Korea. Whether the issue concerns NZ-delivered vehicles has not been made clear.