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.
