“A total of 260,184 vehicles across 57 models manufactured, imported, or sold by Hyundai Motor, Kia, BMW Korea, and Stellantis Korea will be voluntarily recalled due to identified manufacturing defects,” the ministry of land and transport said in a statement.

The ministry added that among this total more than 180,000 cars from Hyundai Motor Group will be recalled.

“Hyundai Motor will recall 85,355 units of the Porter II Electric model from Oct 30 due to a potential fire risk caused by a design flaw in the battery management system software,” the ministry said.

It also added that Kia, a subsidiary of Hyundai Motors, will begin recalling 54,532 units of the Bongo III EV model from Oct 30 for the same software defect that could lead to fires.

Other recalled models from Hyundai Motor included the Tucson, which was recalled due to a design flaw in the fuel filter components, and Kia’s Seltos, which was recalled over a similar defect that could cause the engine to shut down.

AFP reached out to Hyundai Motor Group for a comment.

An electric vehicle battery fire last year damaged hundreds of vehicles and created a national panic, with car parks across South Korea imposing a wave of adhoc restrictions amid growing calls for transparency on battery supply chains.

South Korea is a major producer of batteries and electric vehicles, including local carmakers Hyundai and Kia, with EVs making up 9.3% of new cars purchased last year – higher than in the US.