Hyundai, Kia recall 1.7 mn vehicles on electronics

Hyundai is recalling cars and SUVs, and Kia 623,658 vehicles from model years 2007 through 2011 to replace a switch that could increase the risk of a crash

Hyundai Motor Co, South Korea’s largest automaker, and its affiliate Kia Motors Corp are recalling more than 1.7 million vehicles from five model years for electronic defects.

Hyundai, based in Seoul, said stop-lamp switches in 1.1 million affected vehicles may malfunction, causing brake lights to not illuminate, the cruise control to not turn off and other faults that could raise the risk of a crash, the automaker said on the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) website.

The malfunctioning switches cause affected electronics to not work intermittently and don’t affect brake performance, Jim Trainor, a US-based spokesman for Hyundai, said in an e-mail.

The recall includes Accents and Tucsons from model years 2007 to 2009, Elantras from 2007 to 2010, Santa Fes from 2007 to 2011, Veracruzes from 2008 to 2009, 2010 to 2011 Genesis Coupes and 2011 Sonatas. The Elantra is Hyundai’s best-selling car in the US this year, according to Autodata Corp, an auto researcher.

Kia Motors, also based in Seoul, is recalling 623,658 vehicles for the same defect. Kia’s recall includes Rondos and Sportages from model years 2007 to 2010, Sorentos from 2007 to 2011, Sedonas from 2007, Souls from 2010 to 2011 and Optimas from 2011.

The stop-lamp defect can lead to intermittent operation of the push-button start, prevent the gear shifter from being moved out of the park position, or cause the electronic stability control malfunction light to illuminate, according to the NHTSA filings.

Previous recall
The vehicles included in today’s recall were built after a previous Hyundai recall for stop-lamp switch replacement, the company said in a March 29 letter to NHTSA. The company, in the letter, told regulators it changed its production process since the 2009 recall and that the cars and trucks in today’s recall were manufactured before all the changes were made.

A Transport Canada investigation led to the new recall following a November notification that it had received nine complaints about stop-lamp switch replacement for vehicles not included in the first recall.

In an unrelated notice posted today, Hyundai said it recalled 186,254 Elantras from the 2011 to 2013 model years. Support brackets attached to the lining along the top of a car’s interior can detach when a side-curtain air bag deploys, it said.