Hyundai Recall - Information & Updates

Some car brands are more open than others; some owners are in the dark.  Australia is on track to post a record number of vehicle recalls this year. It has already eclipsed a 10-year high. In 2004, about 776,000 cars were recalled - so far this year, the figure is more than 800,000 and looks certain to surpass the 855,000 in 2001. So are cars becoming less reliable or are manufacturers more concerned about being sued for negligence, and so being more open about problems with their vehicles? The answer to both questions is yes. As car companies drive down costs, they outsource more parts that can be bought more cheaply due to global economies of scale. For example Japanese company Takata makes airbags for most leading car brands. But when something goes wrong, it's monumental. There is currently a global recall of 16 million cars from nine brands - including about 100,000 in Australia - because Takata airbags could inflate with excessive force and potentially spray shrapnel at occupants. So far, the fault has been linked to at least four deaths in the US. General Motors, meanwhile, recalled 2.6 million cars in North America because of a faulty ignition switch that could turn off the engine and disable the airbags. So far the fault has been linked to at least 27 deaths in the US, according to Reuters. US authorities found General Motors executives hid the fault for almost 10 years. Senior staff involved in the scandal have since been sacked. Recalls are in the spotlight in Australia because Holden - possibly spurred by the investigation into the parent company's handling of the ignition switch recall - has been more open than it might have been in the past. Holden's 13 recalls so far this year is more than any other car brand in a calendar year and more than half of these relate to Australian-made cars. Would you rather buy a car from a company that is more open about its faults and more likely to fix them quickly? The next highest on the local list are Jeep (nine recalls) and Toyota (seven). Some Holden recalls, such as a faulty windscreen wiper, may seem overcautious. Some, however, are disturbing. One of the latest recalls was issued because manual transmission versions of the Holden Trax compact SUV and Barina small car can unintentionally 'bunny hop' and then stall if the driver bumps the key when it is in the ignition - even in the off position. Authorities argue that safety is safety, though the definition of 'safety' is open to interpretation. Despite the tough wording, recalls in Australia are still voluntary. This is why some brands don't issue a recall and instead divert the repair work to a 'dealer service campaign'. For example, Hyundai Australia last year voluntarily called 227,000 cars to dealerships to replace a faulty brake light switch in eight models, representing most of its range. News Corp Australia exclusively unearthed the fault the year before. But the company stopped short of calling it a safety recall because the Federal Department of Transport advised the consumer watchdog that the brake light switch fault was "not a safety issue". Hyundai has previously shown a reluctance to recall. In November 1998 it refused to recall 46,000 examples of the Excel even though several were found to have a welding defect that could lead to the collapse of the front suspension. In words eerily similar to the brake light issue, Hyundai claimed at the time it was "not a safety issue". An NRMA technical report said of the Excel's suspension: "In extreme cases the right front wheel and drive shaft can become detached and jam the wheel in the housing." The Federal Government threatened to issue a compulsory recall - which it had never done - if Hyundai did not take action. Despite the seriousness of the fault, and the tough talk from government, Hyundai issued a dealer service campaign. Holden may be more transparent now but it too has recently avoided at least one serious recall. It insists there is no local recall required for a faulty ignition switch despite 46,000 export versions of the Australian-made Commodore and Caprice being recalled in the US earlier this month. In doing so Holden has avoided what would become the biggest recall in Australian automotive history as it would involve approximately 432,000 Commodores made since 2006. Holden engineers insist the GM ignition fault in the US does not affect Commodores in Australia because the position of the key is different. The risk of faults increases as cars become more complex and incorporate more parts from outside suppliers. Furthermore, the handling of recalls differs from brand to brand. Would you rather buy a car from a company that is more open about its faults and more likely to fix them quickly? The alternative is to hope for repair work under the guise of a 'dealer service campaign' - but that is contingent on taking the car back to the selling dealer rather than an independent mechanic. Federal authorities need to provide a clearer definition of what constitutes a safety recall to make the response more consistent across all brands.For now, some car brands are more open than others in this respect and some car owners are none the wiser.

HYUNDAI is recalling every ix35 -- Australia's biggest-selling small SUV -- made over the past three years. The South Korean car maker is recalling 32,525 examples of its ix35 built from January 2011 to December 2013 because the airbag in the steering wheel may not be secured properly and the horn may not work. It is the second recall for the same model so far this year and part of a global recall of more than 137,500 Hyundai vehicles announced last week. In January, Hyundai recalled 6193 of its ix35 SUVs due to a potentially faulty seatbelt pre-tensioner. A statement from Hyundai about the latest safety issue said: "An incorrectly tightened bolt could result in the misalignment of the airbag module, possibly affecting its deployment, and could also affect the operation of the horn." Hyundai says there have been no reported incidents in Australia but customers may notice a rattle in the steering wheel. "It will not cause the airbag to deploy unintentionally," says the Hyundai Australia statement. "(But) the effectiveness of the airbag could be reduced if the bolt is not tightened properly." A safety bulletin has been published on recalls.gov.au and Hyundai customers will be notified by mail in the coming days to have their cars checked free of charge and the bolts tightened if necessary. During preliminary inspections only four vehicles have needed to have their airbag bolts tightened, the company says. In April 2013, Hyundai called 227,000 cars back to dealers to fix a faulty brake light switch that affected eight models, most of its range, after News Corp Australia exclusively unearthed the fault 15 months earlier. But that incident was not documented on recalls.gov.au because Hyundai successfully argued with authorities that potentially faulty brake lights were "not a safety issue" and the repairs could be done as a "dealer service campaign". In its formative years Hyundai refused to issue a recall even after the front suspension assembly of 46 Hyundai Excel cars collapsed while in traffic and/or on the move in 1998. The latest Hyundai ix35 safety campaign is the 33rd vehicle recall so far this year, including one for nine different types of Aston Martin models. The biggest recalls so far this year were Toyota's bulletins issued in April which affected almost 300,000 vehicles: 118,600 Yaris small cars because the seats could slide forward and 179,000 HiLux utilities for a potential airbag failure. Weird car recalls: Land Rover: "assorted models" recalled because the indicators don't flash enough times with one touch (May 2014) Chinese Foton ute: 316 vehicles recalled to replace the wheel jack (May 2014) Aston Martin: all models made between 2007 and 2013 recalled because the accelerator pedal arm may break (January 2014) Ford Falcon LPG sedan: 372 vehicles recalled because the wrong size wheels were fitted (February 2013) Great Wall Motors utes: 23,000 vehicles recalled because some gaskets contained asbestos (August 2012) Holden Commodore ute: 34,432 vehicles recalled because the tailgate could pop open (July 2010) This reporter is on Twitter: @JoshuaDowling  

The recall is to replace a faulty brake light switch across eight models -- representing most of its range -- after News Limited exclusively unearthed the fault late last year. But the company has stopped short of calling it a safety recall because, inexplicably, the federal Department of Transport advised the ACCC it is “not a safety issue”. The faulty brake light switch exposed in Australia is also likely to spark a global recall of more than 1 million Hyundai cars. Hyundai has known about the problem since November 2011 when it surfaced in Australia. The company had discreetly begun fitting replacement parts as customers came in with the problem. Despite knowing about the fault for 15 months Hyundai has only just now started what the industry refers to as a “service campaign” -- and only after News Limited exposed the issue by sourcing a confidential dealer bulletin late last year. Dealers were finally notified of the service campaign late today and owners of the affected cars will be notified tomorrow. “The government looked at the data and determined no further action was required,” said Hyundai Australia spokesman Bill Thomas. “The brakes still work and the brake lights still work. But in a very small percentage of cases there was a delay in full illumination of up to two seconds.” Hyundai said that “in the vast majority of cases” if the brake light switch fails it prevents the vehicle from getting out of park or starting. In some cases the cruise control would not work. The switch attached to the pedal wasn’t “talking” to the car’s computer properly. “The computer didn’t know the brakes had been applied,” Thomas said. This confused many of the car’s systems and a warning light would glow, prompting customers to take the car to a dealership. Hyundai would not say how many cars are affected globally, but a figure of more than 1 million is a conservative estimate given that Australia accounts for about two per cent of Hyundai’s global sales. “ is looking at it on a market-by-market basis,” Thomas said. Hyundai cars affected by faulty brake light switch (all of these models will be called back to dealerships) Hyundai Getz (August 2002 to August 2011) Hyundai i30 (September 2007 to May 2012) Hyundai Santa Fe (May 2006 to August 2012) Hyundai Tucson (June 2004 to February 2010) Hyundai ix35 (March 2010 to today) Hyundi Elantra (October 2006 to June 2011) Hyundai iLoad and iMax (February 2008 to today)  

Hyundai has recalled its popular ix35 for a production defect on the tensioning cable in the seatbelt pretensioner, with insecure crimping meaning the cable could be unleashed and injure occupants or fail to offer full seatbelt restraint in an accident. The recall affects 6552 of the top-selling small Hyundai SUV, which last year led its segment with 19,098 sales -- overtaking the 2012 leader Nissan Dualis with a resounding distance to its 12,434.   The build dates affected by the recall from August 23, 2011 to 24 February, 2012, and the VIN number range is  KMHJT81BLCU373966 to KMHJU81VSCU485865. The VIN number can be found on the build plate in the engine bay. Hyundai says the defect has not been responsible for any injuries in Australia, and that the seatbelts will still continue to operate and protect occupants in the meantime. "There have been no incidents here yet," Hyundai spokesman Guido Schenken told Carsguide. "The defect only affects the pretensioner, so the rest of the seatbelt mechanism works fine. The fix will take about 30 minutes at the most." Hyundai is notifying affected owners by letter, instructing them to return their ix35 to the nearest dealership, where the seatbelt pretensioner will be replaced.    

The voluntary recall has been issued for the Santa Fe diesels over the risk of a fuel leak and possible fire. Hyundai Australia issued the voluntary recall on 9000 Santa Fe 2.2-litre R diesels built between September 1, 2009 and December 13, 2011. The defect involves a lack of clearance between the engine cover assembly and fuel return hose which could cause wear in the hose, leading to a fuel leak and the risk of fire.  However, company spokesman Ben Hershman says not every vehicle will be affected. "There have been no incidences of any problems caused by this issue in Australia to date," he says.  "Owners should present the car to their dealer who will inspect all hoses and replace any if there are signs of wear," he says. "They may also install a small clip to the return fuel hose to act as an additional protection barrier removing the possibility of interference." Owners of affected vehicles will be contacted by letter.  Meanwhile, Toyota has issued a voluntary safety recall of 22 RAV4 vehicles over a possible steering problem.  The recall involves a defect in a prototype instrument panel reinforcement or steering column support bracket which may have been installed in some RAV4 vehicles. A welded section in the bracket could separate, causing noise. In the worst case, steering operation may be affected. There have been no reported incidents in Australia.  Owners of the affected vehicles will be notified by telephone and mail. Any authorised Toyota dealer will replace the unit with a new one at no charge to the owner.