Hyundai recalls the 2010 Tucson and 2011 Sonata sedan
Hyundai recalls a small number of 2011 Sonata sedans and 2010 Tucson crossover.
It was announced last week that Hyundai recalled some models of new Sonata sedan in the U.S. market due to a faulty front-door latch mechanism. The automaker produced about 5.000 units of new mid-size sedan since its January unveiling, but reportedly, only 1.300 units of the 2011 Sonata were affected.
Larger number, approximately 46.000 Sonata sedans have been recalled in the South Korean market, where the model has been on sale since September 2009.
According to Hyundai, only a small number of new Sonata customers complained about the problem and none of them was injured or involved in an accident. The 2011 Sonata recall was voluntary, meaning it was not required by regulators!
Hyundai is also recalling its other new model, the Tucson CUV. The 2010 Tucson will be the subject of a voluntary recall due to a faulty occupant airbag detection. According to NHTSA, a properly seated adult right front seat passengers weighing over approximately 240 pounds cause the passive occupant detection system (PODS) module program to illuminate the ‘air bag’ warning lamp.
“If ‘air bag’ warning lamp is illuminated, the passenger air bag will deploy if a crash of sufficient force to require front air bag deployment is experienced, and will not be deactivated if a child is seated in the right front seating position, which may increase the risk of injury to a child front passenger.
Hyundai Tucson models built from November 10th to November 30th (2009) may be affected, so if you own a Tucson built in November 2009, have it checked out by your local Hyundai dealer. Dealers will replace the PODS module free of charge!
March 1st, 2010 at 8:08 pm
Even if I’m a bit annoyed about these recalls, cause the brand was doing very well, I like how the behaved. These are voluntary recalls, so that means that they care about showing their REAL QUALITY products, not as Toyota that has never said nothing about their problems. Well done Hyundai, keep it up.
March 1st, 2010 at 10:09 pm
the Recall syndrome!
March 2nd, 2010 at 12:24 am
We cant afford one more Recall the media is starting to doubt all Asian Automakers now. They are doubting the Japanese cars now in the US, we dont want it to spread to all Asian cars.
March 2nd, 2010 at 2:57 pm
Yeah HS, except that the recalls from Europe and the US continue, too. It’d be best though if there weren’t any for a while.
On the safety front, I’ve been reviewing Dr. Gilbert’s testimony before congress and Toyota’s recall procedure and the Azera shop manual. Seems Hyundai’s system has some key self-diagnostic features that Toyota’s system lacks. I’ll post more about it when the sales results post is made.
March 2nd, 2010 at 5:04 pm
Personally, they should have caught these small defects before the US launch. These cars have been available in S Korea for some time now.
It’s a crucial time for Hyundai and these are a major part of their lineup. They’ve gotta be extra careful about quality so not to scare away any potential new customers. They’ll go running to Subaru if we let them.
Yes these are small recalls but for those who are new to Hyundai, and feel they are “taking a chance” on them, we don’t want to give them any reason to reconsider their purchase.
March 2nd, 2010 at 8:00 pm
JG,
Well, the thing is that from what I read it was really a US Hyundai employee who found the door latch issue. The Korea Times report said there’d been a few complaints on the Sonata, but they were about other things.
As for the Tucson, I wonder how many 240 lbs. Koreans there are to cause the issue.
March 3rd, 2010 at 2:59 am
I remember a guy complaining on this very same site about the Tucson Recall last week. I know what he meant now.
March 3rd, 2010 at 3:13 am
Good point JG. There is a very different customer base there in S. Korea. Size and weight will have a huge impact on how a set of passengers effect car durability. Think of (5) 240lb 6ft college football players stuffed in a car! Unfortunately even if they test that with a “heavy dummy” there is no comparison to the “live load” (a structural term) that real moving people in a car doing donuts in snow will have… Just because they want to have fun.