Fines of 6.2 Billion Won Imposed on 11 Companies Including Honda and BMW for Selling Cars Not Meeting Safety Standards

Continuous Investigation of Safety Standard Compliance... Strict Penalties for Violations

Honda Odyssey

[Asia Economy Reporter Kangwook Cho] A total of 6.2 billion KRW in fines have been imposed on 11 manufacturers and importers, including Honda Korea and BMW Korea, for selling automobiles that did not meet safety standards.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced on the 28th that it calculated and imposed these fines based on factors such as the sales revenue of the affected vehicles, the correction rate over six months, and the maximum limit, for 19 cases of recalls conducted from June last year to January this year due to non-compliance with automobile safety standards.

The companies fined this time are Honda Korea Co., Ltd., BMW Korea Co., Ltd., Korea Motor Trading Co., Ltd., Hanbul Motors Co., Ltd., Stellantis Korea Co., Ltd., Audi Volkswagen Korea Co., Ltd., Jaguar Land Rover Korea Co., Ltd., Ford Sales Service Korea (Ltd.), Mercedes-Benz Korea Co., Ltd., Hyundai Motor Company, and ICP Co., Ltd., totaling 11 companies.

Honda Korea was fined 1 billion KRW, 1 billion KRW, and 758 million KRW respectively for cases including 3,748 units of 2018-2020 Odyssey and other two models where the vehicle speed was not displayed on the instrument panel; 3,083 units of 2019-2020 Odyssey and other two models where the rear camera image was not displayed within 2 seconds after starting reverse; and 1,753 units of 2019-2020 Odyssey where the rear camera image was not displayed on the screen.

BMW Korea was fined 1 billion KRW for installing lighting not specified in safety standards on 6,136 units of 14 models including the X5 xDrive30d; 53 million KRW for wheel markings on 33 units of the i8 Roadster that did not meet safety standards; 14 million KRW for discrepancies between actual and specified engine output on 643 units of five motorcycle models including the K1300R; and 10 million KRW for discrepancies in wheelbase measurements on 479 units of the R1200GS motorcycle model.

Korea Motor Trading was fined 879 million KRW for non-compliance with rear reflector reflectivity standards on 27,287 units of four motorcycle models including the CZD300-A.

Hanbul Motors was fined 771 million KRW for the flammability of interior materials not meeting safety standards on 8,154 units of eight models including the Peugeot 2008 1.6 e-HDi, and 1.92 million KRW for installing center consoles without locking devices on 10 units of the Peugeot e-208 Electric.

Stellantis Korea was fined 297 million KRW for cases where the rear camera image on 1,070 units of the Jeep Grand Cherokee did not turn off within 10 seconds when shifting from reverse to another gear, and 72 million KRW for non-compliance with rear reflector reflectivity standards on 1,170 units of the 300C.

Audi Volkswagen Korea was fined 183 million KRW for a phenomenon where the seatbelt warning sound on 546 units of eight models including the A4 40 TFSI Premium sounded only once and the warning light turned off when the seatbelt was unfastened.

Jaguar Land Rover Korea was fined 67 million KRW and 6.3 million KRW respectively for cases where the tire pressure warning light on 125 units of the Range Rover Evoque D150 and 6 units of the Range Rover Sport SDV6 did not illuminate within the time specified by safety standards (10 minutes).

Ford Sales Service Korea was fined 65 million KRW for cases where the rear camera screen on 216 units of the Mustang displayed blank or distorted images. Mercedes-Benz Korea was fined 1.85 million KRW for cases where the headlamp position on 3 units of two models including the AMG C 43 4MATIC was improperly adjusted, reducing the headlamp range or causing glare to oncoming drivers.

Hyundai Motor Company was fined 1.15 million KRW for applying a maximum speed limit of 110 km/h on 22 units of the Solati (EU) cargo van, which did not meet the safety standard of 90 km/h. ICP was fined 360,000 KRW for discrepancies between actual and specified dimensions of the cargo bed on 8 units of the Injeong 18㎥ dump trailer.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport stated that it will continuously investigate whether vehicles sold meet safety standards to ensure performance and safety, and will strictly enforce penalties according to the law if violations of safety standards are confirmed.