This is not something any automaker wants to deal with. Just ask Toyota. If you recall, the Japanese automaker suffered a major public relations debacle a few years ago following a few deadly accidents involving unintended acceleration. Toyota immediately took action and the issue was later resolved. Now, it's Hyundai's turn in the hot seat. Kind of.

The carmaker, together with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), has announced a recall for 2,679 examples of the Ioniq Electric in the US. The federal safety agency was alerted about the recall earlier this month. The recall affects specific VINs from the 2017 to 2019 model years for vehicles built in South Korea between January 21, 2016 and June 24, 2019.

These examples could face "unexpected acceleration following gas pedal release [which] can increase the risk of a crash." The NHTSA further adds that "an unstable electrical ground may cause the vehicle to enter a fail-safe mode with reduced acceleration and power. In certain conditions while in fail-safe mode, the vehicle may accelerate after the gas pedal is released."

Hyundai claims electric noise occurs because of a deterioration of the electrical ground, resulting in a potential communication error with the car's Controller Area Network (CAN bus). It needs to be pointed out that despite this error, the vehicle's braking and steering systems remain unaffected. Both work as normal during the "fail-safe" mode.

Owners will notice their Ioniq EV is suffering with this problem when the EV "Ready" light flashes when entering "fail-safe" mode. The good news is that Hyundai is unaware of any related crashes, injuries, or fatalities. The carmaker was first alerted to the problem last June following an unintended acceleration incident in Korea.

Letters to affected US owners will begin to be sent in early February. No further safety instructions were given in the meantime. Hyundai technicians simply have to update the Electric Power Control Unit (EPCU) software and repair the ground wiring. This will be done free of charge.