Close to Three Million Cars Recalled in Korea Last Year

The Korea Transportation Safety Authority announced on Jan. 16 that 2,932,820 cars divided into 2,443 models were recalled in South Korea last year. The figure, which is a record high, is the sum of those ordered by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and the Ministry of Environment with regard to safety and environmental issues, respectively.

The cars include 1,757,310 divided into 71 models manufactured by South Korean automakers. The figure is the third-highest behind those recorded in 2018 and 2017. As for imported cars, the figures are 1,175,510 and 2,372 and the former exceeded one million for the first time in history.

The cars include 936,918 Hyundai Motor, 602,271 Kia, 565,369 BMW and 351,974 Mercedes-Benz cars. Of the total, 982,943 were recalled for power generation defects and 945,936 and 730,763 were recalled for brake and electrical defects, respectively.

The Korea Transportation Safety Authority said that the increase in recall has to do with the ongoing trend of vehicle electrification. “In addition, consumers are becoming more and more sensitive and automakers and car importers and sellers are becoming more and more active in responding to issues,” it said.