- Hyundai is recalling 205,233 2007-'08 Veracruz and Santa Fe vehicles in the U.S. because the driver's airbag may not deploy, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
- Hyundai said the recall will begin this month.
- Hyundai said it is not aware of any accidents or injuries related to the defect.
WASHINGTON — Hyundai is recalling 205,233 2007-'08 Veracruz and Santa Fe vehicles in the U.S. because the driver's airbag may not deploy, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
"The clock spring system contact assembly for the driver's airbag may become damaged through usage over time," said NHTSA in its recalls summary of the problem. "The driver's airbag electrical circuit will experience a high resistance condition, potentially causing the driver's airbag to not deploy.
"If the clock spring develops high resistance, in the event of a crash, the driver's airbag will not deploy and will not be able to properly protect the driver, increasing the risk of injuries.
In other documentation filed with the federal government, Hyundai said it is not aware of any accidents or injuries related to the defect.
There have been 1,083 warranty claims and three customer complaints about the defect in the affected Hyundai Veracruz vehicles, according to the automaker. There have been 6,730 warranty claims and 13 customer complaints about the defect in the affected Hyundai Santa Fe vehicles.
The recall is expected to begin this month.
Hyundai dealers will replace the driver's airbag clock spring in the affected vehicles. Hyundai told NHTSA that owners will be instructed that if the "Air Bag" warning lamp is on they should call their dealer to schedule an appointment immediately. If the "Air Bag" warning lamp is not on, the driver's airbag will operate properly and they are asked not to schedule an appointment until notified because sufficient quantities of the necessary parts are not yet available for all vehicles.
Owners can contact Hyundai at 1-800-633-5151.
Inside Line says: If you own the aforementioned Hyundai Veracruz or Santa Fe, be aware that a recall is in the works.
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roddgenny says:
03:13 PM, 09/28/2011
We love our 2008 Hyundai Veracruz. Hyundai has come a long way since we owned a 1990 Hyundai Excel. We love Hyundais so much, I purchased a 2009 Hyundai Genesis 4 months ago.
My wife was in an accident June 2010 in the Veracruz. She was rearended and ran into a telephone pole, and her driver airbag did not deploy. Now I know why. It did almost $8,000 damage to the car and she is still seeing a therapist about her neck and back. We believe if she was is a Lexus RX350 (we were going to purchase until we found the Veracruz), she would have been hurt worse. But if the airbag had done its job and deployed, she probably would be better by now.
I will definitely be contacting Hyundai U.S.A. about this matter.
akitadog says:
08:19 AM, 09/19/2011
scott230, your post sounds like you're astroturfing. I hope not.
scott230 says:
08:02 AM, 09/18/2011
I just rented one of these and was amazed on how nice the car was. I usually buy high end german cars but some of these cars are becoming so expensive and also depreciates the minute you leave the lot.(talk about being underwater from the beginning). The way the economy is and with a 10yr/100,000mile warranty, I think this is a no brainer for my next car purchase.