Fountain Valley, Calif. – March 28, 2017 – Hyundai Motor America has recalled a number of vehicles equipped with defective power steering systems. The recall impacts Elantra sedans produced between Dec. 22 and Dec. 31, 2016. In 2016 Hyundai recalled several Elantra models also due to stability issues.

The Defect

According to documentation filed with the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration, affected vehicles include electronic power steering motors that fail to connect to the control unit; a similar recall affected Hyundai Sonata models in 2016. The steering assist feature is deactivated, producing an indicator on the instrument cluster. The loss of steering assist requires motorists to manually control the vehicle which can be difficult, especially at low speeds. This increases the likelihood of an accident. No accidents or injuries have been connected to this defect.

Timeline of Events

On March 6, 2017, representatives from Hyundai’s international headquarters contacted Hyundai Motor America and communicated a possible defect in EPS systems installed in recently produced Elantra sedans. Engineers at the car company’s HQ discovered that the power steering motors installed in these vehicles had been damaged during production, could not properly connect to EPS control units and might malfunction, leaving drivers without the steering assist feature. Hyundai Motor America reviewed the claim and the attached field data. No U.S. drivers had come forward with EPS-related problems. Even so, the stateside Hyundai division chose to initiate a voluntary recall on March 24. Dealers were notified on March 31.

The Solution

Hyundai Motor America has ordered dealers to replace defective EPS motors in affected vehicles. This particular part falls under the original factory warranty, which covers the EPS system and other components for five years or 60,000 miles. Therefore, owners should not incur expenses when taking their vehicles in for service. The automaker intends to notify affected Elantra owners via first-class mail by April 28.

Is your vehicle part of this recall? 

Many vehicles are part of this Hyundai recall. To do a Hyundai recall check, use MotorSafety’s free vehicle lookup tool.

Fountain Valley, Calif. — Apr. 10, 2017 — According to Hyundai and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, some vehicles may have ineffective tire pressure monitoring systems that don’t comply with federal standards.

In 190 2017 Santa Fe SUV’s, the tire pressure monitoring systems may fail to comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards. All of the potentially affected vehicles are estimated to have the defect, and were produced between Feb. 1 and Nov. 15 last year in Georgia, as the Part 573 Safety Recall report stated.

The Defect:

The problem comes from the mode the sensors were set to during manufacture. These models reportedly could fail to detect underinflated tires, leading to possible safety issues for occupants, as well as lack of compliance. No injuries have been traced to this recall as of yet. A warning light could turn on if the defect is present.

Timeline of Events:

• Feb. 2, 2017: As the official chronology said, Kia Motor Manufacturing Georgia, where the vehicles were built, collaborated with Hyundai from Feb. 2 to Feb. 9, specifically looking at vehicles that may have been affected.
• Feb. 28, 2017: Hyundai decided to conduct the recall.
• March 6, 2017: This was both the official submission date for the Safety Recall Report and the listed Planned Dealer Notification Date.
• March 31, 2017: The Planned Owner Notification date is set for this date, according to the report.

The Resolution:

Dealers may have to both inspect and replace the sensors to resolve the matter. The official Technical Service Bulletin on this procedure said the replacement will require just two parts: the new sensor and a wheel sensor nut.

The procedure should also confirm that the replacement sensor works and doesn’t cause any in-system warning lights after installation. The sensor should fall under vehicle warranty and therefore not cost the owner.

Fountain Valley, Calif. — Apr. 06, 2017 — A five year span of Hyundai models could be at risk according to a new voluntary safety recall. Two specific vehicle types are involved: The 2011-2014 Hyundai Sonata and the 2011 to 2015 Sonata Hybrid. As of March 7, the recall was number 17V152000 in the official National Highway Traffic Safety Administration database.

The Defect

The Part 573 Safety Recall Report with the NHTSA said that affected vehicles could contain seatbelts at risk of coming apart. This would be because of a linkage problem with the seatbelt connector preventing it from latching completely.

This would put the person in the vehicle at higher risk, and Hyundai said it has already detected a single minor injury attributed to this defect. The report also said that the recall potentially involves 977,778 Hyundai cars, approximately 1 percent of which are thought to have the defect. The component manufacturer was ZF-TRW, from Livonia, Michigan.

• September- November, 2016: The official chronology document lodged with the NHTSA said that this period saw two different reports of incidents related to this case emerge.
• December-February, 2016: During these months, Hyundai worked with the component supplier on the issue, sharing information before Hyundai agreed on the recall on Feb. 28..
• March, 2017: After the recall report submission date of March 8, the dealer notification date is planned for March 31.
• April-May, 2017: The owner notification actions are scheduled for these months, ranging specifically from April 7 to May 5.

The Resolution

Though the report did not list specifics for the remedy, it did state that dealers could inspect the vehicles and look for problems with the connectors. The auto manufacturer itself has also stopped producing this model, and there was no specific recall schedule given as of this time.