Rear seat belt jams and poor backrest... Hyundai, Tesla, and others recall over 30,000 vehicles

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced on the 21st that a total of 29,875 vehicles across 39 models manufactured or imported and sold by Hyundai Motor Company, Mercedes-Benz Korea, Tesla Korea, Honda Korea, Stellantis Korea, BMW Korea, and Jaguar Land Rover Korea have been found to have manufacturing defects and will be voluntarily recalled.

Photo by Hyundai Motor Company

In 14,316 units of the Hyundai Grandeur GN7 HEV (including pre-sale vehicles), an error in the electronic brake software settings was discovered. It was confirmed that during driving with the Smart Cruise Control function on an uphill slope, the vehicle may roll backward when stopping due to the vehicle ahead stopping, which could cause an accident. In 18 units of the Ioniq 5 (including pre-sale vehicles), a welding defect in the recliner mechanism of the left rear seat backrest raised concerns that the backrest could fold or unfold during a collision, potentially causing injury to passengers. The Grandeur GN7 HEV can be repaired free of charge (software update, etc.) at Hyundai’s High-Tech Center and Blue Hands service centers starting May 2, and the Ioniq 5 from the 27th of this month.

A total of 7,069 units of 14 models including the Mercedes-Benz GLE 400 d 4MATIC Coupe imported and sold by Mercedes-Benz Korea were found to have defective fixing of the rear door window frame (trim bar), which could detach from the vehicle body during driving and pose a safety risk to following vehicles. Additionally, 3,340 units of 12 models including the GLE 450 4MATIC had assembly defects in the drainage hose connection, causing air conditioner condensate to leak onto the driver and passenger floor areas, potentially leading to electrical short circuits or fire. These vehicles can be repaired free of charge (inspection and repair) at official service centers starting today.

A total of 2,539 units of 2 models including the Tesla Model S imported and sold by Tesla Korea were found to have a battery management system software error that prevents proper battery status diagnosis, which could cause power loss during driving and result in the vehicle stopping and causing an accident. These vehicles have been undergoing free remote automatic software updates with improvements since the 18th.

A total of 1,591 units of the Honda Accord were found to have an electronic brake software error that fails to record some data in the event of an accident, violating safety standards. Free repairs (software updates) are available at Honda Korea’s official service centers starting today. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport plans to impose fines later considering the correction rate.

A total of 400 units of the Jeep Wrangler imported and sold by Stellantis Korea were found to have a vehicle underframe design error where unnecessary bolts near the fuel tank could impact the fuel tank during a collision, potentially causing fuel leakage and fire. For the DS7 Crossback 2.0 BlueHDi JJEHZ, 332 units were found to lack components that block moisture ingress during tail lamp assembly at the rear of the vehicle, which could cause brake lights and other lights to malfunction and lead to accidents. Jeep Wrangler repairs will be available free of charge from the 24th, and DS7 Crossback 2.0 BlueHDi JJEHZ repairs have been available since the 20th at Stellantis Korea’s official service centers (inspection and repair).

A total of 248 units of 4 models including the BMW 218d Active Tourer (including pre-sale vehicles) imported and sold by BMW Korea were found to have rear seat belts manufactured while caught in the lower interior of the vehicle. In the event of an accident, the seat belt may not function properly, potentially causing injury to passengers. These vehicles can be repaired free of charge (replacement with improved parts) at BMW Korea’s official service centers starting the 26th.

A total of 22 units of 2 models including the Defender 130 D300 (including pre-sale vehicles) imported and sold by Jaguar Land Rover Korea were found to have manufacturing defects in the third-row seat backrest fixing device. If a child safety seat is installed in the third row, the rebound of the seat during a collision could cause injury to the child occupant. These vehicles can be repaired free of charge (inspection and parts replacement) at Jaguar Land Rover Korea’s official service centers starting the 28th.

Regarding this recall, each manufacturer will notify vehicle owners of the correction methods via mail and mobile text messages. If a vehicle owner has repaired the defect at their own expense, they can apply for reimbursement from the manufacturer. Whether a vehicle is subject to recall and detailed manufacturing defect information can be checked by entering the vehicle number or chassis number on the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport’s automobile recall center website.