Hyundai recalling nearly 140,000 2011 Sonatas

[PREMiERdrum]

LINK - Autoblog

 

Hyundai has issued a recall of 139,500 Sonatas over steering issues.

 

 

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) report at safercar.gov identifies the issue says "the steering column intermediate shaft universal joint connections may have been either improperly assembled or insufficiently tightened." The consequence could be "a complete separation or compromised attachment of the connections, such that the driver could experience a loss of, or reduction in, steering capability increasing the risk of a crash."

 

And then there's this...

 

The recall affects MY 2011 Hyundai Sonata sedans built between December 11, 2009 and September 10, 2010. Dealers should begin sending out recall notices in

October. They will inspect and re-torque the assembly, and update the steering software too, at no charge.

 

What? Why would the steering software need to be flashed? The recall is obviously a parts issue. Or is it?

Edited September 26, 2010 by PREMiERdrum

[TomServo92]

Steering software? Just a few years ago, who'd have thought we'd have steering software. :stats:

[silvrsvt]

Seems like Hyundai is going to be running into more and more of this in the coming months....the Sonata doesn't seem to be all its cracked up to be...

[dwford]

Hyundai has updated the EPS software on the newer Sonatas. So they are re-programming the existing cars to match. Its OK when Ford sandbags on the power of the new diesel, then has early adopters come back for an software upgrade, but not for Hyundai?

[156n3rd]

Seems like Hyundai is going to be running into more and more of this in the coming months....the Sonata doesn't seem to be all its cracked up to be...

I've just been waiting for this moment. When Hyundai proves they, like anything or anyone, cannot be perfect. But moreover, I've been expecting the neggy pants and naysayers to begin running them down. Congratulations. You are not a winner.

[Pioneer]

improperly assembled or insufficiently tightened

 

Must have assembled by a drunk, lazy, pot smoking UAW worker.

 

Oh, wait.......

[blazerdude20]

Must have assembled by a drunk, lazy, pot smoking UAW worker.

 

Oh, wait.......

 

 

i'll hand it to you pioneer, atleast you have a sense of humor.

[All-Or-Nothing]

This is a small recall in comparison to other recalls issued by GM, Toyota, etc....

 

No one will remember this besides forums in a few weeks.

[FordBuyer]

This is a small recall in comparison to other recalls issued by GM, Toyota, etc....

 

No one will remember this besides forums in a few weeks.

 

The customers who have to take their vehicle in at 7AM remember it and have to make arrangements to do so plus other incoveniences. Or ignore the recall as as many do and get socked at trade-in time or get into crash because they refuse to take the time to do so. I believe Carfax report will show if vehicle was taken in and rapaired for recall. I would imagine that recalls do affect loyalty ratings.

[97svtgoin05gt]

While it is a small recall, a fatal crash involving just one of these could really cost them some money. Are we pretty sure this is the bulk of it or it this just the tip of the iceburg?

[NickF1011]

This is a small recall in comparison to other recalls issued by GM, Toyota, etc....

 

No one will remember this besides forums in a few weeks.

 

That kind of head-in-the-sand thinking is exactly what got the Detroit 3 in trouble.

[fxcomet]

Well, I took my Sonata in for service today and they're going ahead and performing the recall while they have it. Gave me a loaner car for my "inconvenience" though I didn't ask for one. Compared with the Toyota (hide it under the carpet, er floor mat) and hope it goes away mentality, I found it quite refreshing. Now, compare that to when my friendly neighborhood Ford dealer had my Edge a week and a half waiting for a replacement axle only to call me to come pick it up and the repair not be done because the axle is on, um, "back order"....

 

Your experience may vary....

[97svtgoin05gt]

Well, I took my Sonata in for service today and they're going ahead and performing the recall while they have it. Gave me a loaner car for my "inconvenience" though I didn't ask for one. Compared with the Toyota (hide it under the carpet, er floor mat) and hope it goes away mentality, I found it quite refreshing. Now, compare that to when my friendly neighborhood Ford dealer had my Edge a week and a half waiting for a replacement axle only to call me to come pick it up and the repair not be done because the axle is on, um, "back order"....

 

Your experience may vary....

 

Ford service in MANY dealerships leaves a lot to be desired. Ford however generally doesn't forget to screw together steering columns.

[fxcomet]

Ford service in MANY dealerships leaves a lot to be desired. Ford however generally doesn't forget to screw together steering columns.

 

And best I can tell Hyundai hasn't had any spontaneously combusting cruise control mechanisms or cylinder heads that spit spark plugs or break them off in the head. Perhaps that's why they warranty their heads for 100K for no extra coin and Ford doesn't?

 

What's your point?

Edited September 29, 2010 by fxcomet

[PREMiERdrum]

And best I can tell Hyundai hasn't had any spontaneously combusting cruise control mechanisms or cylinder heads that spit spark plugs or break them off in the head. Perhaps that's why they warranty their heads for 100K for no extra coin and Ford doesn't?

 

What's your point?

 

Apples to Apricots.

 

Want to talk about issues in 10, 15, 20 year old Fords? Lets talk about the absolute shit Hyundai was putting out at that time.

[Pioneer]

Here's something Ford never had:

 

http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2009445_2009447_2009523,00.html

[fxcomet]

Here's something Ford never had:

 

http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2009445_2009447_2009523,00.html

 

You guys kill me. I'm no Hyundai "fanboy". I currently own three fords including a 69 Mercury Cyclone Spoiler 2. But I'm no Ford "fanboy" either. You relentlessly trash other brands and absolutely refuse to recognize the positive attributes they have to offer and continue to ignore the failures of your own favorite company. Don't misunderstand me. Ford IS my FAVORITE car company. My next car will in all likelyhood be a Ford (the next generation Escape, whatever it's called). But piling on Hyundai when they immediatley recalled their cars due to the steering issue instead of stonewalling ala Toyota is disingenuous at best given Ford's own recall history. I'm glad that Ford as a manufacturer is not as arrogant as those who've become its fans. Its starting to feel like a Toyota board around here.

[NickF1011]

You guys kill me. I'm no Hyundai "fanboy". I currently own three fords including a 69 Mercury Cyclone Spoiler 2. But I'm no Ford "fanboy" either. You relentlessly trash other brands and absolutely refuse to recognize the positive attributes they have to offer and continue to ignore the failures of your own favorite company. Don't misunderstand me. Ford IS my FAVORITE car company. My next car will in all likelyhood be a Ford (the next generation Escape, whatever it's called). But piling on Hyundai when they immediatley recalled their cars due to the steering issue instead of stonewalling ala Toyota is disingenuous at best given Ford's own recall history. I'm glad that Ford as a manufacturer is not as arrogant as those who've become its fans. Its starting to feel like a Toyota board around here.

 

I don't think there is anyone on this forum who will not admit Hyundai has made huge strides in the market over the past decade. But hey, when you screw up, you're gonna be called out for it.

 

It's not like we ignore when Ford has a recall.

[Pioneer]

You relentlessly trash other brands and absolutely refuse to recognize the positive attributes they have to offer and continue to ignore the failures of your own favorite company.

 

 

You must not read my posts. I constantly criticize Ford products. Hell, I voted for the Sonata for COTY.

[Ovaltine]

And best I can tell Hyundai hasn't had any spontaneously combusting cruise control mechanisms or cylinder heads that spit spark plugs or break them off in the head. Perhaps that's why they warranty their heads for 100K for no extra coin and Ford doesn't?

 

And don't forget about those good 'ole TFI ignition modules too! Mounting those heat-sensitive little buggers right above the exhaust manifolds of the Escorts and Tempos sure was a GREAT idea....NOT! Once they fatigued and fried, you'd get a couple of RPM bounces on the tach, and off to the shoulder of the road you'd coast. Deader than a doornail. As the former owner of both an 1.6L Escort and a 2.3L Tempo, I soon learned the value of the prophylatic replacement of a TFI module.

 

My '88 5.0L Mustang's distributor is positioned quite a ways away from the factory headers, so my original is still functioning after 67k miles. Reading the following article DOES make me wonder if I shouldn't replace it at some point.

 

http://www.autosafet...lass-settlement

 

Excerpt(s):

 

In a landmark decision on August 29,2000, in Howard v. Ford Motor Co., (Case No. 763785-2, Alameda County Superior Court, California State Judge Michael Ballachey announced he would order the recall of 1.8 million 1983-95 Ford vehicles in California with defective ignition modules that fail and cause dangerous stalls on highways.

 

Vehicles with the distributor mounted TFI module have a 9% higher fatal crash rate than those with a different module system. Ford Motor Company has known about this problem since it began, yet concealed it from consumers and government regulators for well over a decade. Just as in Firestone tires on Ford Explorers, a prime instrument in Ford's cover up was secrecy agreements in product liability lawsuits. Over 900 product liability lawsuits have been filed against Ford on these vehicles with protective orders and confidential settlement agreements entered in many.

 

Rather than bearing the expense of moving the TFI module to a cooler location away from the engine, a solution that Ford engineers recommended to management for years, Ford decided to employ a less costly solution: to leave the module on the distributor, but make it last long enough to function during the warranty period, thereby forcing consumers to bear the cost of post-warranty failures that Ford knew would continue to occur in large numbers. As a result, over 13 million replacement TFI modules (which are designed to last for the life of the vehicle without maintenance or repair) have been sold to consumers at a cost of nearly $2 billion.

 

Despite an extraordinary number of complaints from consumers, Ford managed to conceal the TFI problem from government regulators. From 1983 through 1989 the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) conducted five separate investigations into stalling complaints by Ford customers. In response to these investigations, Ford concealed what it knew about the TFI problem and persuaded NHTSA to close each investigation without taking action. As a result of the class action, NHTSA opened an investigation in 1997, in which it concluded that Ford had withheld key documents during earlier investigations. By then, the 8-year statute of limitations on NHTSA's authority to order a recall had expired, preventing NHTSA from taking any meaningful enforcement action.

Just as in Firestone tires on Ford Explorers, the TFI product liability cases against Ford involve tragic injuries. In Phan v Budget Rent a Car & Ford Motor Co., there were two deaths, one quadriplegic and four other injuries when a 1990 Mercury Sable stalled at highway speeds.

 

-Ovaltine

Edited September 29, 2010 by Ovaltine

[NickF1011]

Escorts and Tempos

 

Let us know when the 2011 Escort and Tempo get recalled...