Hyundai recalls nearly 30,000 Kona Electric SUVs over airbag fault

What is failing in the airbag control unit

The fault lies in the Airbag Control Unit (ACU). According to the recall report published by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, data written to the unit's memory can become corrupted under certain driving conditions, which switches on the airbag malfunction light on the instrument cluster and deactivates the airbag system. With the system out of action, the airbags will not fire in a crash, raising the risk of injury to the driver and passengers.

Hyundai says the corruption can occur if the control unit reboots or loses power while it is writing data to its internal memory. Its North American office opened a fresh investigation in 2024 after warranty claims for the airbag warning light rose.

A software fix, not a hardware one

Hyundai worked with ZF, the supplier of the airbag control units, to reproduce the problem on other vehicles but could not. A fault was eventually induced during bench testing, and a solution was found.

The remedy is a free software update carried out at a Hyundai service centre, so owners will need to book a dealer visit rather than fix the car at home. Hyundai says the new software rolls back to the last known valid data if a transfer is interrupted for one of the reasons above.

Hyundai is aware of 331 individual incidents tied to the ACU issue across the Kona Electric and Veloster N. The Kona Electric involved is the previous-generation model, which went out of production in 2023.

Why the recall matters for owners

An airbag warning light is easy to treat as a minor annoyance, but here it signals that the restraint system has switched itself off. That makes the free software update more than routine housekeeping: it restores a safety function that drivers cannot see working until the moment it is needed.

The recall is also a reminder that software, not just parts, can disable safety equipment. Hyundai's fix is a rollback routine rather than a new component, which means the repair is quick once an owner gets an appointment, but it still depends on owners acting on the notice.

Ford will launch a new midsize pickup for international markets next year, CEO Jim Farley said on the company's third-quarter earnings call. The truck is a separate project from the electric Fathom pickup and from the Maverick and Ranger that Ford sells in the US.

Farley gave a clear cost target but few other specifics. Ford expects the new truck's base material costs to run 20 percent below those of today's Ranger, a figure aimed squarely at the cheap, often electrified pickups Chinese brands have been selling in Latin America and Southeast Asia.

What Ford has and has not said

The truck does not have a confirmed name. Farley did not name it on the call, and Ford has not said where it will be built or which countries will get it first. Pricing has also not been announced, so the 20 percent figure should be read as a build-cost target rather than a sticker price. Material costs and retail prices rarely move in lockstep, which leaves Ford room to position the truck aggressively without committing to a number yet.

Powertrain details are equally open. Farley's comments did not rule out a plug-in hybrid option later, but Ford has not confirmed any powertrain for the truck. What the company has made clear is the direction: this model is being developed for cost efficiency rather than electrification, unlike the Fathom.

Why Ford is building it

Chinese manufacturers have been pricing midsize pickups well below what established brands typically charge, particularly in Latin America and Southeast Asia. Ford's new truck is its opening response to that pressure, with a launch window in the next year. Farley framed the goal in terms of what the Maverick has already done in the US: bring in buyers who would otherwise shop with a rival brand.

The truck is not a rebadged version of anything Ford currently sells. It sits below the Ranger on production cost while remaining distinct from the unibody Maverick and from the US-market Fathom electric pickup. That matters because Ford's recent truck talk has leaned heavily electric, and the Fathom's expected pricing has already been detailed. This international model runs on a separate track, built to hit a price point rather than to electrify.

US buyers are not the target

Ford has not said whether the truck will be sold in the United States. The company already offers four truck lines at home: the Maverick, Ranger, F-150 and Super Duty. It has also discussed a separate affordable combustion pickup for the American market later in the decade, a different project from this international model.

For drivers outside the US, the practical signal is that Ford intends to compete on price in segments where Chinese brands have gained ground. For US buyers, the more relevant question is the later combustion truck, since nothing in Farley's comments ties this international pickup to American showrooms.