Hyundai, Kia Get Defective Charging Suit Sent to Arbitration

Consumers alleging certain Hyundai Motor Co. and Kia Corp. electric vehicles fail to charge as advertised must arbitrate their claims, a federal judge ruled.

The arbitration provisions in Kia’s Connect Terms of Service and Hyundai’s BlueLink Services agreement weren’t invalid or unconscionable, the US District Court for the Central District of California said Jan 3.

Eight vehicle owners and lessees brought a proposed class action against the car makers and alleged multiple types of electric models are defective because they don’t charge as advertised. The vehicles included Hyundai’s Ioniq 5 and 6, the Kia EV6, Kia Niro EV, Kia PHEV, ...