Washington June 19 2023: U.S. auto safety regulators are investigating nearly 40,000 Hyundai (005380.KS) Ioniq 5 electric vehicles over reports of power loss while driving that may be tied to a battery charging issue.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s preliminary investigation covers 2022 model-year vehicles after it received 30 consumer complaints alleging a loss of acceleration. The agency said many consumers reported a loud popping noise followed by a warning displayed on their dashboard, and immediately experienced a loss of power that ranged from a reduction in acceleration to a complete loss.
One complaint reported a driver traveling 75 miles (120 km) per hour on a highway using advanced highway assist and “the car became completely unresponsive.” The driver added that there was a semi-trailer truck behind him “and one to my right in the slow lane. The car stopped accelerating, and I was unable to resume driving. I was forced to coast to a stop on the side of the highway.”
According to another complaint in February, a driver on a highway in Santa Maria, California, heard a loud pop coming from my car and “within a few seconds my car lost speed rapidly, from 55 mph to 25 then a second later 22 mph.”
