Hyundai is the latest car maker in the news for a large recall on two of their vehicles. Recalls occur when a potential problem that affects numerous cars, trucks, or SUVs is discovered either through company testing or driver complaints. Obviously it is better if these issues are discovered by the company before any type of car accident occurs, but that is not always the case.
The smaller of the two recalls affects over 22,000 2012-13 Hyundai Sonatas. The company has received 16 complaints of the side airbags deploying without a car accident occurring. While airbags can save lives during an accident, they can cause injuries such as bruising or burning. These injuries are certainly better than broken bones or organ damage that might happen in an accident without airbags, but if an accident has not occurred, these injuries cause unnecessary pain and potential scarring and cost the victim in lost wages in medical expenses. A deployed airbag, whether front or side, can also limit the visibility of the driver, which may cause a serious accident in Louisiana.
The larger product recall involves the 2007-2009 Hyundai Santa Fe. Almost 200,000 are being recalled in the U.S. These vehicles have the opposite problem from the ones above. In these vehicles, certain airbags may not deploy, even when involved in an accident. The issue stems from faulty sensors that may not detect a light passenger sitting in the front seat. Originally designed to keep the front passenger seat airbag from deploying if a child is in the front seat, these sensors may not cause the airbag to deploy if a smaller adult is in the passenger seat.
How do these recalls work? Anyone who owns one of the affected vehicles will receive a recall notice by mail. The owner will need to set up an appointment with their local Hyundai dealer and the side airbags will be replaced in the Sonatas and the Occupant Classification System software will be updated in the Santa Fe SUVs.