Fountain Valley, Calif. — March 6, 2017 — In one of the most recent Hyundai recalls, the manufacturer has turned its attention to brake booster systems in thousands of its 2017 Elantra vehicles. Production dates for these models ranged from Sep.12, 2016 to Jan. 18, 2017.

The Defect

Brake boosters in these affected vehicles are possibly subject to a manufacturing error, leaving them prone to failure. The Part 573 Safety Recall Report said that the boosters could lose power after the diaphragm within them comes loose.

Exactly 33,803 vehicles are involved with this action, although the percentage of these thought to have the defect was not reported. The components came from the Georgia-based company Mando America Corporation.

Timeline of Events

• December 2016: The manufacturer investigation into the defect began following customer reports, as well as greater demand from the supplier for the brake booster part.
• January 2017: Hyundai agreed to launch a safety recall after working with the supplier to both investigate the defect and prevent further models from suffering the same problem.

The Resolution

Owners could, according to the report, check to see if their malfunction indicator lamp is lit to determine if there’s a problem with the internal vacuum system. Regardless, the report said that owners can expect the related repairs to fall under the existing warranty, and that the remedy would simply require an inspection and replacement. This source also listed dealer notification as Jan. 27 and owner notification as Feb. 17.

Manufacturer’s instructions provide more detail about the repair process, mentioning the two different service procedures needed for the same recall, including measures that match different transmission types. Replacement involved just one new product, the vacuum booster itself, matching to either the 1.4 or 2.0 liter engine. For MTM vehicles, the dealers were instructed to use brake fluid as needed.

Fountain Valley, Calif. – Dec. 14, 2016 – Hyundai Motor America has just announced the recall of certain Entourage vehicles that have defective hood latches, which could contribute to reduced driver safety if not addressed.

The Defect

Hyundai will recall Entourage vehicles from the 2007-2008 model years that were manufactured between Feb. 16, 2006 and June 30, 2008, according to documents compiled by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The problem is that these vehicles have a secondary hood latch that might corrode and remain open, even when the hood is closed.

The purpose of this secondary latch is to act as a fail-safe in case the primary latch does not fasten. But if both fail, the hood could open unexpectedly. If this occurs when the vehicle is in motion, it could cause a driver to lose control of the vehicle.

Timeline of Events

June 2016 – A customer in Pennsylvania contacted Hyundai to complain about a latch disengagement on a 2007 Entourage. Further inspection could not replicate the problem or determine a potential cause.

September 2016 – Hyundai received another report from Massachusetts about latch problems on a 2008 Entourage, but the car was repaired before an investigation could be completed.

October 2016 – A report of a latch problem on a 2007 Entourage from New York was investigated, and Hyundai discovered corrosion on the secondary latch.

November 2016 – Hyundai conducted a recall of affected vehicles.

Resolution

Owners of vehicles sold or registered in the following states may have their latches replaced by a dealer, free of charge: Alaska, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, West Virginia, Wisconsin and the District of Columbia. Owners of vehicles registered in other states may visit a dealer to have the latch either replaced or lubricated, depending on the extent of the corrosion.

Fountain Valley, CA — June 9, 2016 — A new Hyundai recall concerns several vehicles with possible air bag deployment issues. The relatively small action involves just 33 Sonata, Sonata Hybrid and Elantra vehicles from the 2015 and 2016 model years produced between 2014 and 2016. As of April 20, no injuries have been traced back to this problem.

According to the Part 573 Safety Recall Report attributed to this case, there is no signal identified that could indicate the problem could occur. If the affected vehicles were not equipped with the proper chemical enhancer, the report stated, the front driver second stage air bag may not deploy. Even if the first stage unit works properly, this failure could be dangerous for drivers and leave them unprotected for more advanced dangers.

The components in question come from Key Safety Systems, based in Lakeland, Florida. In early April, Key alerted Hyundai to some air bag inflator issues. The manufacturer launched the official recall nine days later.

This planned notification date for both dealers and owners was scheduled for April 29, as the supplier made necessary changes to the affected air bag manufacturing process. The replacement air bag module units won’t be produced in the same lots as the others.

As Left Lane News reported, Kia is executing a similar recall with its 2016 Optima, which includes just 17 potentially affected units. The Kia recalls are also due to components from Key, and the replacement air bags will feature the chemical enhancer missing in the previous ones.

All of the affected Kia vehicles were produced between November 2015 and February 2016. Owners and dealers in this recall were both scheduled for notification a week earlier than those in the Hyundai action.

Fountain Valley, CA — April 25, 2016 — Hyundai Motor America is recalling 173,000 Sonata sedans produced between 2009 and 2010, all with the 2011 model year. The cause comes from power steering concerns which could alter the driver’s steering ability while the car is in motion. Though the issue won’t completely stop steering control, it will shut off the assist in some cases, forcing drivers to put more effort into manning the vehicle.

If the circuit board connected to the affected autos’ electronic power steering is damaged, drivers may unexpectedly have to work harder. The Part 573 Safety Recall Report for this problem described the way electronic power steering systems receive multiple inputs from the vehicle, including steering wheel torque and position data. Every owner of a potentially affected vehicle will be instructed to seek out a dealer for EPS replacement.

Drivers should pay attention to the instrument warning lights and specifically look for the red EPS signal. Although the report was submitted on March 31, the planned dealer and owner notification date isn’t until May 31. According to an accompanying vehicle recall chronology, the first investigations date back to last year.

“The investigation revealed the manufacturing process for the printed circuit board (PCB) in the EPS Control Unit was modified in October, 2010 by revising the protective coating to the circuit board to help improve the PCB’s resistance to potential environmental effects,” it said.

Last month, investigators from Korea came to the U.S. to observe possible steering problems in these vehicles: Mobis, the listed component supplier, is based in Korea. As the chronology stated, the recall grew out of these investigations. The power steering system has been a part of the Sonata since it was introduced to the U.S. market in 2009, seven years before the current Hyundai recalls.

Fountain Valley, CA — March 8, 2016 — On February 29, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration received a report of a pair of Hyundai recalls based on the same issue. According to this document, 18,700 Genesis and Equus vehicles, both of them four-door light vehicles with gas powertrains, may be subject to an issue that affects windshield wiper functions.

The majority of the autos in this recall are Genesis models manufactured between 2011 and 2012. The source notes that the cover seal for wiper motors is at risk of corroding, potentially slowing the wiper or preventing it from functioning at all. For the Equus vehicles included, model years range between 2011 and 2013. VALEO Wiper Systems, a German company, was listed as the component manufacturer.

“If the windshield wipers become inoperative during inclement weather, driver visibility could be reduced, increasing the risk of a crash,” the report said. Though no recall timeline was listed, dealers and owners are scheduled for notification on April 22.

Dealers will solve the problem by resealing the cover of the wiper motor to lower chance of circuit board corrosion. Hyundai officially decided to conduct this recall on February 16, six years after it first learned of possible delays in wiper performance for the Genesis vehicles.

In October 2015, General Motors also launched a recall based on difficulties with windshield wiper motors. That action involved concern over a possible fire risk from overheating systems. Unlike this Hyundai recall, the GM order concerned three different 2016 models: the Buick Enclave, the Chevrolet Traverse and the GMC Acadia.

As a Car and Driver article from that time described, 31,00 vehicles were part of the recall, although only 6,400 were with customers at the time of the recall.

Fountain Valley, CA — March 01, 2016 — A total of 11,176 2011 Hyundai Tucson vehicles are part of a recall action submitted late last month. Models manufactured between July and October in 2010 are subject to a possible transmission fluid leak, due to badly produced hoses. Although the official recall began only recently, it represents five years of investigations and response actions, with the first notifications coming from a dealer in September 2011.

Owners and dealers alike have a few symptoms to help them determine whether or not a particular vehicle is at risk. According to the Part 573 Safety Recall Report, affected models are light SUV’s with automatic transaxles. If the transmission hose is visibly leaking fluid, the Malfunction Indicator Lamp is on or the vehicle is shifting unusually, the driver might be at risk.

The vehicle manufacturer will notify owners beginning March 25, with dealers notified on the same date, though the official schedule for the recall was not reported. However, this document did describe some of the observations uncovered in previous investigations.

“The investigation revealed that certain hoses manufactured from August 2010 through October 2010 might have been improperly cured during the manufacturing process, lowering the hose rubber durability and creating the potential for the hose to rupture and split,” the document said. Faulty hoses could potentially leak enough transmission fluid to put the vehicle in danger.

In 2015, Subaru also recalled thousands of vehicles for transmission fluid leak concerns. Instead of a hose, this effort was prompted by a “deformed” seal cap inside a propeller shaft yoke that could have leaked fluid onto an exhaust pipe. The repair required dealers to replace the entire propeller shaft assembly following a stop sale order.