The Ministry of Environment has ordered five automotive manufacturers and importers, where vehicle emissions defects were found, to take corrective actions. The affected vehicles include 51 models and a total of 82,537 units.
On the 15th, the Ministry of Environment announced that it had compiled the status of defect correction (recall) approvals for the first half of 2025, ordering Mercedes-Benz Korea, BMW Korea, General Motors Asia Pacific Headquarters, Ford Sales Service Korea, and Korea General Motors to rectify mandatory defects.
These companies received defect correction orders from the Ministry of Environment under the Air Quality Preservation Act because the defect rates of specific components that occurred during operation had accumulated beyond a certain level.
The major defects of the vehicles subject to correction include ▲ damage to sensors caused by condensate formation (BMW 520d, etc.) ▲ leakage at the hose connection in the fuel supply line (Mercedes-Benz S 580 4MATIC, etc.) ▲ vapor gas leakage due to damage to internal components of the purification control valve (Ford Lincoln Corsair 2.0) ▲ breakage of the purification catalyst at high temperatures (Korea General Motors Cruze 1.8) ▲ malfunction of the purification pump (General Motors Asia Cadillac CT4/CT5 2.0T), among others.
The manufacturers and importers of the affected vehicles are expected to update software or replace damaged parts. Vehicle owners affected will receive individual notifications via mail and text messages (SMS) when the manufacturers or importers initiate defect correction (recall).
In addition to the mandatory defect correction targets, five manufacturers and importers are also voluntarily implementing or preparing to implement voluntary defect corrections, such as software updates, for a total of 16 models and 42,605 units they have verified themselves. The five companies involved include Kia, Mercedes-Benz Korea, Ford Sales Service Korea, BMW Korea, and Volkswagen Group Korea.
Whether a vehicle is subject to defect correction and the specific defect details can be confirmed by contacting the automotive manufacturers and importers or by entering the vehicle registration number or VIN on the automobile recall center website (www.car.go.kr). Vehicle owners who voluntarily corrected the relevant defect at their own expense before the implementation of the defect correction can claim compensation from the manufacturers or importers under the Air Quality Preservation Act.
Lee Kyung-bin, head of the Transportation Environment Division at the Ministry of Environment, said, “We will thoroughly analyze the causes of defects in the components related to vehicle emissions” and “We will ensure that manufacturers improve these issues to reduce air pollution and do our best to protect public health.”