Hyundai Elexio recalled, deliveries halted

Hyundai Motor Company Australia is recalling every locally delivered example of the Chinese-built Hyundai Elexio due to so-called ‘phantom braking’, but a fix could take months to be applied to the electric SUVs.

“In certain situations, Elexio’s Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist (FCA) system may apply sudden and unexpected braking even though it is not necessary,” the company said in a statement to CarExpert, ahead of an official recall notice being published on the Department of Infrastructure website sometime this week.

“Sudden braking of this nature could increase the risk of rear-end collisions with any following vehicles.”

The company has also paused deliveries of the Elexio until a fix is available, and the model is no longer available to configure on the Hyundai website, though it remains part of the brand’s local lineup.

Hyundai Australia says some Elexio owners have already reported this issue, which has led it to issue a voluntary safety recall.

In a customer information sheet, Hyundai warned a fix – involving both replacement hardware and a software update – could take months to be deployed.

“February 2027 is the estimated timing. That timeline is subject to review and we hope to get it done earlier, but we can’t guarantee a shorter timeframe,” the company said in its information sheet.

It has advised owners to contact an authorised Hyundai dealership to arrange a temporary loan vehicle until the fix is available. Likewise, customers who are now unable to take delivery of their Elexio will be eligible for a loan vehicle.

A total of 944 Elexios have been recorded as being delivered to Australian customers from launch through to the end of October 2026, but the total tally of affected vehicles is 1619, including vehicles yet to be delivered.

For more information, owners can email Hyundai Australia Customer Care at customercare@hyundai.com.au or phone 1800 186 306.

“The safety of our customers has always been Hyundai’s number one priority and any issue that has the potential to compromise that safety is taken seriously,” said Hyundai Australia in a statement.

The Elexio is the brand’s first Chinese-developed and Chinese-built model to be sold in Australia, with our market being the first right-hand drive export market for the mid-size electric SUV. Customer deliveries commenced early this year.

Hyundai issued a recall earlier this year for 36,496 current-generation Tucson mid-size SUVs due to a similar issue.

“Due to a software issue, the Forward Collision Avoidance (FCA) system may continue to apply sudden/unexpected braking even though it is no longer necessary to avoid a collision or reduce impact,” said Hyundai Australia in its recall notice.

The Tucson is unrelated to the Elexio, but it’s unclear if it uses any similar advanced driver-assist system (ADAS) hardware or software.

Other companies have also issued recalls for phantom braking, including Mazda which recalled over 500 CX-90s in 2024 for an autonomous emergency braking (AEB) system that was being falsely triggered by reflective objects. This was resolved with an update to the SUV’s Vehicle Control Module.

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