The encyclopedia · Product & Design · Product decision · 2018–2021
Hyundai patched the Kona EV's battery fires, then replaced 82,000 batteries
Kona Electric fires started within weeks of launch. Hyundai tried a software fix, then a fire hit a patched car — 82,000 battery replacements at $900M.
Hyundai · 2021-02-24
What happened
Hyundai launched the Kona Electric in 2018 as one of the first affordable long-range EVs, built on battery cells from LG Energy Solution. Fires started within weeks of launch and kept coming — 15 Kona EVs had caught fire by early 2021, with no deaths but with vehicles burning while parked or charging.
In October 2020 Hyundai recalled about 77,000 Kona EVs globally for a software update and told owners the battery management software would keep them safe. In February 2021, after a fire in a vehicle that had already received the fix and a public outcry, Hyundai agreed to replace the battery packs: 25,083 Kona EVs in Korea, plus 1,314 IONIQ EVs and 302 Elec City buses, based on an interim finding that the high-voltage battery cells were the likely cause.
The replacement program expanded to North America and Europe in March 2021 — about 82,000 EVs in total, roughly 75,680 of them Kona EVs, around 70% of the 111,000 Kona EVs sold. The program was estimated to cost about $900 million. Hyundai limited charging to 90% until batteries were replaced, and 173 Kona owners had filed a class action in November 2020 seeking 8 million won each.
Why it happened
- The first fires came weeks after launch, but Hyundai treated them as isolated and spent two years on software patches instead of asking whether the cells themselves were the problem.
- The October 2020 software recall was presented as the fix; the fire in an already-patched vehicle in early 2021 proved the cells were the defect and forced the battery replacement.
- A single-supplier bet on LG's pouch cells left Hyundai with no alternative — when the cell design was the failure, the only remedy was replacing every pack at $900 million.
The lesson
Two years of software patches could not fix cells that were built wrong. When the part itself is the defect, the patch only delays the recall — and the delay tripled the bill to $900 million.
Aftermath
The battery replacement program began in Korea in late February 2021 — 25,083 Kona EVs, 1,314 IONIQ EVs and 302 Elec City buses — and expanded in March to North America and Europe, covering about 82,000 EVs, roughly 75,680 of them Kona EVs. The Korea Automobile Testing and Research Institute's interim investigation pointed to defects in the high-voltage cells supplied by LG Energy Solution. Hyundai capped charging at 90% until batteries were replaced, and in November 2020, 173 Kona owners had already filed a class action seeking 8 million won each over lost value and inconvenience.
Sources
- AsiaOne (Reuters) — Kona EV owners say Hyundai mishandling recall for battery fires (Mar 2021)
- The Korea Times — Hyundai Motor to replace batteries in 25,000 Kona EVs over fire risks (Feb 2021)
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