NEWS:   Hyundai recalls 90K Sonata sedans to fix handles

(Yahoo News) -- May 27,2009 -- WASHINGTON – Hyundai Motor Co. is recalling more than 90,000 Sonata sedans to replace door handles that have caused cuts on the fingers of some motorists.

The South Korean automaker says the recall affects 2002 and 2003 model year Sonatas. The company says chrome plating on the interior handles could wear down, leading to cracking and sharp edges.

A Hyundai spokesman says a few customers have cut their fingers on the peeling chrome plating. Sonata owners can take their car to a Hyundai dealership to have the handles repaired free of charge beginning in June.

MORE RECALL INFO:   Hyundai Sonata

APRIL 2008 -- Hyundai is recalling 393,714 MY 2006-2008 Sonata vehicles equipped with an advanced air bag system which features an occupant classification system (OCS) in the right front seat. The purpose of the OCS is to disable the right passenger seat front air bag when it detects the presence of a child restraint system or small child in the right front seat. The right front air bag is disabled to prevent injuries to a child that may result from air bag inflation during a crash. Misclassification of a small stature adult as a child in the right front passenger seat may cause the air bag to not inflate in a crash that merits air bag deployment and may result in injury to the right front occupant. Dealers will verify that the OCS does not properly recognize a properly seated adult occupant. After verification, dealers will remove the right front seat cushion assembly and ship it to an evaluation and repair facility. This facility will evaluate and repair or reprogram the seat cushion and OCS as necessary. The recall is expected to begin on or about May 26, 2008. Owners may contact Hyundai at 1-800-633-5151. 08V-161

NEWS:   Rusting Hyundai Sonatas Prompt Federal Probe

Corrosion can cause suspension to fail, wheels to fall off

ConsumerAffairs.com -- April 29, 2008 -- The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is investigating allegations that the subframe on the Hyundai Sonata can corrode to the point of causing the suspension to fail.

The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) at NHTSA has received 40 consumer complaints about severe corrosion in the 1999 through 2002 model year Sonatas.

Consumers have reported “fist-sized holes in the frame” that can cause the suspension control arm to detach from the vehicle, according to federal safety investigators.

The result can be “wheel collapse or separation, half shaft detachment resulting in sudden vehicle disablement and or steering anomalies," according to the NHTSA Web site.

The federal agency has also received reports of corrosion in the engine cradle and front cross-member.

NHTSA said that “there appears to be an increasing trend in failures, with 10 reported so far in 2008, 19 in 2007, 11 in 2006 and 1 in 2005.”

Most of the complaints come from states where large amounts of salt are used on roads during snowy months, according to NHTSA.

The “salt belt” states according to NHTSA are Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia, Wisconsin and the District of Columbia.

Some consumers report discovering the severe corrosion during routine maintenance such as an oil change but the majority of the complaints “allege that the corrosion was not detected until it resulted in suspension failure” or a wheel came off, according to NHTSA.

Sonata owners reported traveling at speeds from 5 to 65 mph when they encountered the suspension failure. Some of the incidents “resulted in the vehicle becoming disabled in the traffic lane at night with the driver and child stuck in the car,” according to the NHTSA Web sit. “Passing traffic swerved around the vehicle at high speeds,” NHTSA said.

One consumer told federal safety regulators that the Hyundai Sonata was “stuck in the middle of a dangerous intersection.”

Another reported the sonata was so badly rusted the vehicle was declared a total loss by the insurance company after the lower control arm completely separated from the vehicle “causing the half-shaft to detach from the transmission and resulting in damage to the wheel housing and quarter panel from the detached wheel.”

MORE RECALL INFORMATION:    Hyundai Sonata

NEWS:    Hyundai recalling 393,714 Sonata cars

WASHINGTON (AP) -- April 15, 2008 --  Hyundai Motor Co. said Tuesday it was recalling 393,714 Sonata passenger cars in the United States to fix a problem with the air bag system in the front passenger seat.

The automaker said the recall affects 2006-2008 Sonata vehicles equipped with an advanced air bag system. The system disables the front passenger seat's front air bag when it detects the presence of a child restraint system or a small child in the seat.

The right front air bag is disabled to prevent injuries to a child that could result from the air bag inflating during a crash.

Hyundai said it received some complaints that the system was misclassifying a small adult as a child and shutting off the passenger air bag. The automaker said the misclassification would prevent the air bag from inflating in a crash, potentially leading to an injury to the passenger.

Hyundai spokesman Miles Johnson said the company was not aware of any injuries and was conducting the recall to "ensure the safety for our customers."

Dealers will evaluate the air bag system and the make any necessary repairs. The recall is expected to begin in late May.

MORE INFO:   Hyundai Sonata

• DETROIT (Reuters) -- NHTSA said Hyundai Motor Co. Ltd.was recalling 36,000 of its Sonata cars from the 2006 model year because their front seat belts may interfere with the manual seat back recliner knob. The seat belt may cause unexpected release of the front seat back recliner, potentially resulting in an injury to passengers, NHTSA said.