Photo: Hyundai
Hyundai filed the paperwork for a safety recall in the USA targeting the MY2011 Sonata. An internal investigation following a high number of warranty claims concerning the loss of power steering assistance determined that a circuit board which controls the system could be damaged in time and fail.
The South Korean carmaker discovered that the supplier of the particular circuit board upgraded the protective covering of the electronic element in October 2010, so they decided to recall all the MY 2011 Sonata sedans manufactured between late December 2009 and the end of October 2010.
The recall action targets approximately 173,000 Sonata units, Automotive News informs. As the NHTSA explains, the loss of power steering increases the risk of an accident, especially at low speed.
Furthermore, the issue is upsetting for the driver, as increased effort is required to turn the wheel if the power assistance fails.
Hyundai informed the NHTSA that the company did not have any knowledge of any accidents or injuries related to this potential issue. The carmaker will replace the circuit boards of the affected units with the upgraded elements.
However, the company has not specified how many warranty claims it received for loss of power steering on the MY2011 Sonata. Since this entire situation led to an internal investigation, we expect the number to be significant.
Carmakers regularly perform internal quality control and inquiries, and those issues which involve repairs on warranty are pursued with the utmost attention. After all, each automaker wants to have the best possible results in reliability surveys, which lead to an increase in sales, brand image, resale value, and customer confidence.
Unfortunately for carmakers and consumers alike, issues with suppliers can result in costly recalls. Naturally, the client has no fault in this, but they lose valuable time with the schedule of a repair and the trip to the dealer.
Meanwhile, the brand is also affected, as their image is “stained” by having to fix issues caused by third parties with which they did business. On the supplier side, the companies which provided the potentially defective components must pay for the replacement parts.
The recall action targets approximately 173,000 Sonata units, Automotive News informs. As the NHTSA explains, the loss of power steering increases the risk of an accident, especially at low speed.
Furthermore, the issue is upsetting for the driver, as increased effort is required to turn the wheel if the power assistance fails.
Hyundai informed the NHTSA that the company did not have any knowledge of any accidents or injuries related to this potential issue. The carmaker will replace the circuit boards of the affected units with the upgraded elements.
However, the company has not specified how many warranty claims it received for loss of power steering on the MY2011 Sonata. Since this entire situation led to an internal investigation, we expect the number to be significant.
Carmakers regularly perform internal quality control and inquiries, and those issues which involve repairs on warranty are pursued with the utmost attention. After all, each automaker wants to have the best possible results in reliability surveys, which lead to an increase in sales, brand image, resale value, and customer confidence.
Unfortunately for carmakers and consumers alike, issues with suppliers can result in costly recalls. Naturally, the client has no fault in this, but they lose valuable time with the schedule of a repair and the trip to the dealer.
Meanwhile, the brand is also affected, as their image is “stained” by having to fix issues caused by third parties with which they did business. On the supplier side, the companies which provided the potentially defective components must pay for the replacement parts.
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