Hyundai is recalling its compact Ioniq due to a fire hazard. If that sounds familiar, you have a decent memory: back in 2018, a first recall to fix the same problem had been issued.
Addendum: Hyundai Canada has confirmed that the Canadian model is not affected by this campaign. So if you own a model, there is no need to worry. The following news is for the U.S. market and is provided for your interest only.
The versions of the Ioniq affected are the hybrid and plug-in hybrid variants. The company explains that the problem is in the power relay assembly and that 10,575 models are affected. The defect could cause the assembly to overheat, increasing the risk of thermal damage and fire where it is located, under the rear seats.
At the time of the first recall, Hyundai replaced either the main relay or the assembly, depending on the extent of the damage. The original filings stated that no accidents or injuries were reported.
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After the recall, four fires were reported in the past year, according to the timeline provided by Hyundai. The company identified five vehicles that were not properly repaired in an investigation of 11 models that had been included in the initial recall. According to Hyundai, about 1 percent of the 10,575 affected vehicles might turn out to have a problem.
That works out to not many models, but obviously Hyundai prefers not to take any chances.
Dealers and owners will be notified by August 26, and the vehicles will then be checked at service centres. Repairs will of course be made at the company's expense.
To find out if your model has the defect, Hyundai explains that if the vehicle's HEV light comes on, or if the vehicle cannot be started, it could be experiencing the problem.
