Hyundai Defect Investigations

More than 1,300 Hyundai vehicles have burst into flames, now the government wants to know why. It’s about time.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) was petitioned to look into these non-collision fires last June. The fires are responsible for 26 injuries in Hyundai vehicles and over 100 if you include Kia. The investigation will focus on the Theta II engine, but the NHTSA plans on looking into tail lights and other potential combustion sources as well.

Multiple State Attorneys are looking to turn up the heat on Hyundai and Kia.

An increasing number of cars are going up in spontaneous flames and I’m glad to see somebody’s willing to step up and investigate. We’re still waiting on a decision from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The investigation will focus on the Theta II engine and the automaker’s handling of prior recalls.

What are the odds that your car will set itself on fire without ever being involved in a collision?

Much higher than you’d think, especially if you’re one of these 3 million Hyundai and Kia owners.

The Center for Auto Safety (CAS) has put together a list of vehicles that they say should be taken off the road until a pending government investigation ends with a comprehensive recall.

CAS says Kia and Hyundai have done nothing but provide empty statements about working directly with vehicle owners who report fires. In addition, both automakers seem to be waiting for NHTSA to conclude its investigation to determine if additional actions should be taken.…

keep reading article "Are 3 Million Hyundai and Kia Cars Too Dangerous to Drive?"

Apparently Hyundai’s latest seat belt recall did enough to satisfy the government, who announced they’re closing their recall.

NHTSA continued the investigation after the first recall because safety regulators believed a better fix should be applied by dealers. Regulators were concerned about how the connectors were built to be removed from the pretensioners when working on the cars. But the connectors could release in a crash if they weren't properly reconnected during maintenance.

The second recall added a label to the connector with graphics and instructions how to properly lock the connector if someone works on the car. No word on if that label said for the love of everything, don’t forget to put this thing back to together.

The government says they can’t find evidence of a safety defect with the electronic parking brake in the 2016 Sonata. They’ve closed their investigation.

Safety regulators knew that Hyundai had issued a technical service bulletin to dealers in May 2016 about problems with the electronic parking brake systems and NHTSA wanted to know if the proposed repairs did indeed fix the cars.

The optional electronic parking brake uses an electric motor to push the rear brake pads against the rotors. The brake is supposed to disengage when the transmission is shifted into gear with the ignition on.

Owners report that the brakes aren’t getting enough clearance after disengaging, causing premature wear and – in at least one case – a fire.

The feds are investigating why front passenger seat belts are detaching from their pretensioner during crashes involving the 2013 Sonata.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is looking into possible problems with the front passenger seat belts in 2013 Hyundai Sonata cars after two reports were filed concerning seat belts that failed.

Multiple people have been injured in crashes, as you might imagine.

2012 Veloster owners should keep an eye out for a possible sunroof recall.

Just keep that eye pointed down, or risk getting some glass in it. The Office of Defects Investigation, a part of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, is taking a close look at the 2012 Hyundai Veloster after receiving 11 complaints that the sunroof exploded.…