Cars and Drivers

Hyundai Recalls Close to 1 Million Vehicles

Chris Lange

Published: March 16, 2017 11:15 am

Last Updated: January 12, 2020 1:54 pm

Hyundai is finding itself in a tough spot on Thursday after the company announced that it will recall close to a million (978,000) of its Sonata cars in the United States. The underlying problem with this recall was a seat belt glitch that has led to one minor injury, according to a report filed to U.S. regulators early on Thursday.

The recall campaign is expected to begin in early April, and it will involve Sonata midsize cars from 2011 to 2014 model years and Sonata hybrid models from the 2011 to 2015 model years.

Reportedly, the Korean automaker said in government documents that a fastener for a seat belt anchor may not have been fully latched during assembly. If that happens the belts can detach.

The problem was discovered in September when a driver reported that the seat belt for the front passenger in a 2014 Sonata came loose in a collision.

Recently offsetting this bad news was an incredible month of sales. Hyundai reported that it had its best February ever, with sales totaling just over 53,000 for the month. Derrick Hatami, vice president of national sales for Hyundai Motor America, commented, “The Santa Fe and Elantra families continued their strong performances in February, up 58% and 33%, respectively.”

Hyundai Motor America sells and services Hyundai vehicles through 835 dealerships nationwide. All new Hyundai vehicles sold in the United States are covered by the Hyundai Assurance program, which includes a five-year/60,000-mile fully transferable new vehicle limited warranty, Hyundai’s 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain limited warranty and five years of complimentary roadside assistance.