After a fanfare of positive reviews for Hyundai’s Ioniq EV, from motoring publications, it seems the positive charge in the Ioniq got a bit too repellant for motorists in the USA.

The NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Association) of America is issuing a safety recall of the Ioniq EV after reports of low-speed unintended acceleration. According to the NHTSA, around 2,600 units have been identified to have a software flaw that will unexpectedly cause the Ioniq to enter into a ‘fail safe’ mode, during that morning drive to Costa Coffee.

When the fail-safe mode is activated, often without notice, the afflicted Ioniq EVs are found to have accelerated at low speed once the accelerator pedal is released. This in theory could lead to an accident. The NHTSA has concluded that the brakes and steering are unaffected.

NHTSA discovered loose wiring to be the main issue that lead to a “communication error within the vehicle’s Controller Area Network (CAN) bus”. In other words, someone on the Hyundai assembly line forgot to fully plug the Ioniq’s brain into the computer.

Luckily it’s an easy and free fix at your nearest dealer and Hyundai and will also include a software update. Just to be on the safe side. It just goes to show complex electric cars are to master for legacy carmakers.