Hyundai Recalls Nearly 400,000 Sonatas over Air Bag System
Hyundai Motor Co., South Korea's top auto maker, said Tuesday it is recalling 393,714 Sonata sedans in the United States starting in late May to fix a problem with the air bag system in the front passenger seat. The recall affects 2006-2008 Sonata vehicles made at a plant in Montgomery, Ala., and equipped with an advanced air bag system, according to a company spokesman.
The system is designed to disable the front passenger seat's air bag when it detects the presence of a child restraint system or a small child in the seat, but Hyundai said it received some complaints that the system was misclassifying a small adult as a child and shutting off the passenger air bag, which prevents the air bag from inflating in a crash. The company said no injuries have been reported. It plans to start the recall in late May.