The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said Friday it has ordered a recall of 34,268 vehicles -- sold by Hyundai Motor, Kia Motors, Renault Samsung Motors, Toyota, Mercedes-Benz Korea, Hanbul Motors and BMW Korea -- for faulty components. 

The defective components found in 23 models sold by the seven carmakers include faulty air bag in Hyundai Motor’s Avante, loose nut for generator inside Carnival, worn-out gearshift for Soul EV and oil leak in Renault Samsung’s Master van.

The defects in other imported car models include faulty internal circuit inside Toyota Prius’ inverter, malfunctioning locking device in the differential gear and seat backs in Mercedes-Benz’ AMG models, short circuit in the electronic control unit inside Hanbul Motors’ Peugeut 508 and weak durability of tie-rod of BMW 330i xDrive have been found. 

Related customers will be alerted via mail and text messages. Vehicle owners who have already paid to fix the defects can ask the automaker to compensate them for the costs, authorities said.

By Kim Da-sol (dddd@heraldcorp.com)