Renault Samsung faces massive recalls for SM6 sedan
By Jhoo Dong-chan
The government ordered Renault Samsung to recall more than 50,000 SM6 sedans for various defects uncovered in a safety investigation.
Separate from the recall, Renault Samsung, the French carmaker’s local affiliate in Korea, was ordered to pay over 600 million won in fines for the model’s violations of national vehicle safety standards, the government said.
According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, Thursday, the carmaker’s popular SM6 sedans produced between Nov. 26, 2015, and Nov. 11, 2016, were found to have a defect in the vehicle’s body control module (BCM). Due to possible errors in the vehicle’s BCM, the vehicle’s brake lamps could not operate properly for several seconds after a driver steps on the brake pedal for more than five minutes.
A total of 22,395 cars were found to be affected. The malfunction of the vehicle BCM is a violation of the transport ministry’s safety standards, and Renault Samsung is expected to be fined one-thousandth of its SM6 sedan sales _ worth 611 million won ($528,226).
Separate from a defect in the BCM, 50,110 SM6 cars made between Oct. 5, 2015 and Oct. 24, 2016, were found to have a problem in their brake and accelerator pedal covers. The plastic covers could detach from the pedals while driving, possibly leading to an accident.
The SM6 sedan was also found to have another defect in its child safety device.
A total of 15,938 SM6 sedans produced between May 19 and Aug. 8 last year were found to have a defect in the child safety lock in the rear seats.
The child safety lock is a device to prevent children from opening the door during driving, and it may cause fatal accidents for children if they open the door while the vehicle is traveling at high speeds.
The vehicle was also found to have yet another problem in its gasoline engine model. A total of 5,626 2.0-liter gasoline-powered SM6 models produced between Jan. 21 and Mar. 19 last year were found to be equipped with a faulty water pump pulley. The device could be easily broken down while driving, increasing the vehicle’s coolant temperature to affect battery performance.
Affected vehicle owners can get free repairs at Renault Samsung service centers across the country starting March 17.