Tesla to recall 561 vehicles for faulty components for first time in Korea

Imported car brands including Tesla Korea, Mercedes-Benz Korea and BMW Korea will recall 13,797 vehicles to fix faulty components, the Transport Ministry said Thursday.

According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, Tesla Korea will recall 561 units of the Model S it imported and sold here, which are installed with a flash memory device with tight capacity. It has been found that the lack of flash memory capacity can cause a malfunction in the touch-screen dashboard, rear camera display, fog removing function and faulty turn signal.

It is the first time for the electric vehicle manufacturer to recall its vehicles here.

The Tesla cars are part of some 13,797 units of 52 models subject for recall. They are from Tesla Korea, Mercedes-Benz Korea, Honda Korea, BMW Korea, Man Truck & Bus Korea, Korea Commercial Truck and vehicles imported by Hanbul Motors, as well as 66 units of three dump trucks.

Mercedes-Benz Korea will recall 6,199 units across 17 models, including the GLE 450 4Matic that failed to meet safety standards. The Transport Ministry said it is also considering imposing a fine on the automaker.

BMW Korea is subject to recall 574 units of 10 models, including the BMW 520 d, for weak components in their propeller shafts, and Honda Korea will recall 4,567 units of seven cars for faulty impellers in the fuel pump.

Vehicles that are subject to recall can be repaired at repair and service centers of the respective automakers, free of charge, the ministry said.

By Jo He-rim (herim@heraldcorp.com)