18 Automakers Penalized $8.16 Million for Insufficient Safety Compliance
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Seoul, Dec 10 (NationPress) The transport ministry here declared on Tuesday that it has imposed fines totaling 11.7 billion won ($8.16 million) on 18 foreign and domestic automakers for the sale of vehicles that do not meet adequate safety standards.
Among those being penalized are several imported brands, including BMW Korea, Honda Korea, Mercedes-Benz Korea, and Tesla Korea, along with local manufacturers such as Hyundai Motor Co., Kia Corp., and KG Mobility Corp., as reported by the ministry.
The penalties stem from corrective actions taken regarding defective components in the companies' vehicles between July and December of the previous year, according to Yonhap news agency.
BMW Korea incurred the highest fine of 2.99 billion won due to issues related to faulty steering wheels across 13 models.
KG Mobility was fined 1.88 billion won, followed by Honda Korea with 1.09 billion won, Renault Korea with 1 billion won, and Mercedes-Benz Korea with 899 million won.
Additionally, Hyundai Motor, BMW Korea, and three other manufacturers will voluntarily recall nearly 300,000 vehicles due to defective parts.
The five companies, which include Kia, Honda Korea, and Mercedes-Benz Korea, are set to recall a total of 298,721 units across 84 different models, as stated by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.
The recall was prompted by various issues, including software glitches in the integrated charging control unit of Hyundai's Ioniq 5 and Kia's EV6 electric vehicles, a malfunctioning braking system in BMW's 520i sedan, and a faulty fuel pump impeller in Honda's Accord sedan, according to the ministry.
Sales of imported vehicles in South Korea dropped by 3.9 percent year-on-year in November, according to industry statistics.
The new registration of imported cars totaled 23,784 units last month, down from 24,740 units a year earlier, as reported by the Korea Automobile Importers & Distributors Association. On a monthly scale, this reflects an 11.9 percent increase from October.
