Hyundai, Kia, Genesis EV models hit with class-action suit

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A class-action lawsuit has been filed against the Hyundai Motor Company, claiming that four of its all-electric Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis models may have a defective Level 2 charging port that’s leaving owners unable to properly charge their vehicles. The suit, filed in California but open to vehicle owners across the U.S., involves the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Ioniq 6, Kia EV6, and Genesis GV60. Owners claim their vehicles often stop charging because the charge port heats up — and that a software update the automaker issued to solve the problem can cut the charging rate down as much as half.

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Owners who plug in at night and don’t realize their vehicles didn’t charge up could be left with insufficient battery levels for their driving needs.

According to law firm Hagens Berman, which filed the suit, vehicle owners and lessors “report repeated charging failure at charging rates as low as 28 amps. Thousands of affected vehicles are equipped with a defective charging port, which is prone to overheating and does not restart charging sessions upon return to a suitable temperature.”

Owners have reported their charging sessions repeatedly fail, from charging at 48 amps – the maximum rate advertised for the vehicles – and as low as 28 amps, which is the minimum rate. The problem occurs more frequently when it’s hot outside, and can show up within as little as thirty minutes after the vehicle is plugged in and starts charging. Some owners said the charging sessions “fail daily after a mere 45 minutes,” according to the law firm, and it takes six to eight charging sessions to fully charge the battery.

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Hyundai introduced a software update for the issue in March of 2023, “but in reality, the update slows down the charging even further, and makes it impossible for car owners to use their 48-amp chargers,” the lawsuit claims. It adds that the update “causes affected vehicles to lower the charging rate to 23 amps if overheating occurs, rather than halting the charging session,” but owners paid for capability of 48 amps, “and these vehicles do not perform at a level even close to what was advertised.”

The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has complaints on file for all four models from vehicle owners, who state the same thing — that the charge ports in their vehicles overheat when plugged into a Level 2 charger, and the vehicle stops charging, or that the software update increases the time required to charge the vehicle. NHTSA has not issued any recalls for the problem.

The class-action suit is still in its early days – it was filed on July 26, 2023 – and so far doesn’t indicate what compensation the law firm is seeking for its clients.