Hyundai Recalls 305,000 Cars to Fix Brake Problem

In a filing with the National Highway Transportation and Safety Administration (NHTSA), Hyundai Motor America said it would notify owners of up to 304,900 model year 2011 and 2012 Sonata vehicles manufactured in Alabama of a recall to fix a problem with the cars’ braking system.

The company said it first began investigating warranty claims to replace brake pedal stopper pads in July 2014. The claim rate rose from 0.1% to 0.5% by September 2015 and the company said it decided to initiate the safety recall campaign on November 6, 2015.

According to the company’s report:

The brake pedal stopper pad is located between the stop lamp switch and the brake pedal arm. It is currently believed that the brake pedal stopper pad material in the affected vehicles can deteriorate allowing the stop lamp switch plunger to remain extended when the brake pedal is released. A deteriorated pad can result in the stop lamps illuminating continuously, illumination of the traction control warning lamp, the ability to move the shift lever without depressing the brake pedal, or activation of the engine management system’s brake pedal override feature.

The company said it is not aware of any crashes or injuries related to this problem.

The brake pedal stopper pads are sourced from KSR International, a company based in Ontario, Canada. The affected cars were manufactured between December 11, 2009, and June 30, 2011 according to the NHTSA.

The NHTSA noted that the recall is scheduled to begin on January 11, 2016.

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