Hyundai has issued a safety recall for nearly 91,000 vehicles due to a fire risk caused by an electric short. As it happens, the starter solenoid in the subject vehicles could be contaminated with water, resulting in an electrical short while driving or parked.
Produced by the folks at BorgWarner, the starter assembly bears part number 36100-3C240. The 2015 to 2016 Hyundai Genesis accounts for 46,613 vehicles of the 90,907-strong recall population, followed by 31,766 units of the 2017 to 2019 Genesis G80. The posher G90 is listed with 5,101 examples produced for the 2017 through 2019 model years, while the G70 sedan is recalled to the tune of 5,427 units produced for model year 2019.
All of the aforementioned vehicles were manufactured in South Korea, and BorgWarner's iffy starter assembly was also manufactured locally. As per the recall report published by the NHTSA, the supplier added a protective boot to the starter solenoid magnetic switch on January 23, 2019. Instead of replacing the original assemblies with the redesigned assembly, dealers have been instructed to install a relay kit in the engine junction box.
This relay provides electrical power to the solenoid at startup only rather than continuously, therefore eliminating the risk of an engine compartment fire. Be that as it may, the remedy is a bit cheap on Hyundai's part, especially if you remember that Genesis is Hyundai's luxury-oriented marque.
Owners will be informed about said recall by first-class mail no later than April 13, 2024. The chronology of events filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration suggests that Hyundai Motor North America was notified about this problem by Hyundai Motor Corporation on January 5, 2024. Given the redesigned starter assembly from January 2019 mentioned just earlier, HMC should have informed HMNA much sooner.
Photo: Hyundai
It gets even more curious, though. The chronology of events further states that HMNA's North American Safety Office is aware of 12 thermal incidents in the United States of America, with the earliest incident occurring on September 29, 2017. The safety boffins at NASO could have been a little more proactive in regard to this concern, for sure!
Looking at the glass half full, thank the heavens that Hyundai isn't aware of any crashes, injuries, or worse caused by the recall condition. Owners who aren't fine waiting until April 13 for the mailed notification can take matters into their own hands by entering the 17-character vehicle identification number on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's or the Genesis brand's website.
As you're well aware, the Hyundai Genesis turned into the G80 following the creation of the standalone luxury brand. The mid-size sedan can be had with either internal combustion or all-electric muscle, with prices kicking off at $54,400 and $74,375 (sans destination charge), respectively.
For the G90 luxobarge, you'll have to prepare at least $89,200 for the 2024 model year. The most affordable Genesis of the bunch is the $41,500 G70, which undercuts the made-in-Alabama GV70 by $3,650. The Montgomery plant also produces the Hyundai Santa Fe, Santa Cruz, and Tucson.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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