According to foreign media reports, some owners of Hyundai Kona electric vehicles said that the company performed poorly in an important recall, delayed the recall and had poor communication with the owners. Hyundai could lose consumers as a result of the recall as it seeks to become the world's third-largest electric car maker.
Hyundai announced last month that it would replace battery systems for about 82000 cars worldwide after 15 Kona electric vehicles caught fire. The recall will cost $900m. But some car owners complain that Hyundai did not communicate a clear plan to the owners and did not tell them when the battery system would be replaced.
A 34-year-old Kim (Kim) from Seoul, surnamed Kona, said: "when I asked the Hyundai repair center when my car could replace the battery, they just told me that they would put me in front of the waiting line, but I did not know the exact date." When I bought the Kona in 2018, there were not many electric models available on the market, but now there are more options for electric cars, and I don't think I will choose Hyundai anymore. "
Hyundai told foreign media that the safety of its customers is its primary concern. "Hyundai will continue to work hard and take necessary actions to prevent ongoing recalls from causing inconvenience to customers," the company said. " But the company did not answer car owners' complaints about delays and lack of communication.
Hyundai said it would start providing battery replacement services in South Korea next week. However, due to the lack of clarity, many car owners have begun to vent their grievances on social media and seek compensation.
In November, 73 Kona owners filed a class action lawsuit demanding that Hyundai pay 8 million won ($7000) to each owner to make up for what they claim is a decline in the value of electric vehicles and other losses.
Lee Hang-koo, executive consultant at (Korea Automotive Technology Institute), Korea Automotive Technology Research Institute, said Hyundai's battery supply may have potential problems and the company should communicate more clearly with car owners.
The Kona fire, which dates back to a few weeks after Hyundai launched its Kona electric car in 2018, has so far caused no casualties.
In October, Hyundai offered a software upgrade to solve the problem, but the move met with an outcry from consumers and a fire in a vehicle that had upgraded its system, before Hyundai agreed to replace the battery made by LG Energy Solution, a battery unit of LG Chemical.
Another Kona owner, 35-year-old engineer Li (Lee), said the software upgrade had greatly reduced the charging speed and available capacity of the battery, and he said he would never buy a Hyundai car again. Lee said that when he went to the public charging station to charge the Kona, he even encountered the charging station refusing to allow him to recharge. He said: "the recall is a waste of my time, and when I recharge the car, I have to worry about the fire." Most importantly, I have to worry about what other people think of my car. "
