Hyundai Motor Company Australia is recalling every Elexio it has delivered locally after the electric SUV's Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist system was found to apply sudden, unnecessary braking, and the brand has stopped taking new deliveries until a remedy is ready. The fix requires both replacement hardware and a software update, and Hyundai's customer information sheet puts the estimated timing at February 2027, a date it says is subject to review.
What the fault does and why it matters
Hyundai told CarExpert that in certain situations the Elexio's Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist (FCA) system may brake sharply even when no obstacle warrants it, and that sudden braking of this kind could raise the risk of a rear-end collision with a following vehicle. The company says some owners have already reported the behaviour, which prompted the voluntary safety recall.
An official recall notice is expected on the Department of Infrastructure website within the week. The affected population is 1619 vehicles, a figure that includes Elexios built but not yet handed to customers; 944 had been recorded as delivered in Australia from launch through the end of October 2026.
Hyundai has paused deliveries and pulled the Elexio from the configurator on its Australian website, though the model stays in the local line-up. Buyers waiting on a car they cannot yet take delivery of, and owners already driving one, are both eligible for a loan vehicle through an authorised Hyundai dealership until the remedy is applied.
The long wait is the hard part. A recall that pairs new hardware with new software is a workshop job, not an over-the-air patch, and Hyundai's own wording leaves room for the February 2027 estimate to slip later rather than earlier. Owners who want the loan car should treat the dealership booking as the first step, not the last.
A first for Hyundai in Australia, and a familiar fault
The Elexio is the first Chinese-developed, Chinese-built Hyundai sold in Australia, and Australia is the first right-hand drive export market for the mid-size electric SUV, with customer deliveries beginning earlier this year. That makes the recall an early test of how the brand handles a problem on a model with no local track record behind it.
Hyundai Australia also issued a recall earlier this year covering 36,496 current-generation Tucson mid-size SUVs for a similar issue. The repetition is the detail worth noting: the same class of driver-assistance fault has now surfaced on a combustion model and on the brand's newest electric SUV in the same market within a single year.
Hyundai's Australian arm said safety has always been its number one priority and that any issue with the potential to compromise it is taken seriously. Owners can reach Hyundai Australia Customer Care at [email protected] or on 1800 186 306.
Hyundai has not announced a revised on-sale date for the Elexio beyond the delivery pause, and it has not confirmed how many of the 1619 vehicles will need the hardware component versus the software update alone.
