— A Hyundai Ioniq unintended acceleration incident has caused a recall of more than 5,900 model year 2017-2019 Ioniq electric vehicles.
Hyundai Ioniq electric vehicles may suffer from reduced power, reduced acceleration or possibly unintended acceleration due to unstable electrical grounds that cause the vehicles to enter fail-safe modes.
The unintended acceleration can occur once the vehicle is in fail-safe mode and after a driver releases the accelerator pedal.
In June, Hyundai learned about a Korean media report regarding an Ioniq unintended acceleration incident. The automaker opened an investigation and engineers found vehicle data that indicated an unstable electrical ground may have caused electrical noise to flow abnormally.
This triggered a fail-safe mode which can cause acceleration problems.
Hyundai says unintended acceleration can occur under specific circumstances.
"The sequence steps being (1) the accelerator pedal is rapidly cycled at the moment the “fail-safe” mode is initially engaged, (2) followed by a sustained period of 100% accelerator pedal application and lastly (3) an abrupt release of the accelerator pedal. The braking and steering systems are fully functional during the “fail-safe” mode."
A driver will see a flashing EV Ready light if the Ioniq enters fail-safe mode.
The U.S. Hyundai Ioniq recall includes 2,679 vehicles and a Canadian recall involves 3,236 vehicles.
Hyundai says it is unaware of any crashes or injuries related to the acceleration issues.
Hyundai is expected to mail Ioniq recall notices February 4, 2022, and dealers will need to update the electric power control units.
Hyundai Ioniq owners may call 855-371-9460 and use recall number 215.
