Hyundai recalls Santa Fe, Sonata on air bag issues

Hyundai Motor Co is recalling some Santa Fe SUVs and Sonata sedans for separate air bag issues, U.S. safety regulators said.

In the United States, Hyundai is recalling 199,118 Santa Fe SUVs from the model years 2007 to 2009 that were made from April 2006 through July 7, 2008 because the front passenger air bag may not deploy in a crash, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said in a filing.

Separately, Hyundai is recalling 22,513 Sonata sedans in the United States for the model years 2012-2013, made from January to June this year, because the side air bag may inflate, to the surprise of the driver.

The Santa Fe SUVs may have difficulty detecting "small statured adults" in the front passenger seat so that the front passenger air bag may not deploy in a crash, the NHTSA said.

Hyundai told regulators it needed to update its software on the Santa Fe and would do so without charge. It has not yet given the NHTSA a schedule for notifying customers.

The curtain, or side air bag, in the Sonata sedan "may inflate without deployment command and increase the risk of injury to occupants of the vehicle," NHTSA said. Also, an air bag deploying when there is no crash or other normal cause for it doing so can hinder the driver's ability to control the vehicle, the agency said.

Hyundai will replace the side air bags on the Sonata free of charge. The recall is to begin next month, the automaker told the NHTSA.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/07/30/us-hyundai-recall-idUSBRE86T0PC20120730