Hyundai Motor, foreign brands ordered to recall nearly 1m vehicles: ministry

Published : Dec 28, 2017 - 11:07 Updated : Dec 28, 2017 - 15:36

Hyundai Motor Co. and several foreign automakers will voluntarily recall nearly one million vehicles to fix faulty parts, the transport ministry said Thursday.

Hyundai Motor's recall -- set to begin on Jan. 4 -- affects 510,265 units of the Sonata NF built between Jan. 5, 2004 and Dec. 12, 2013, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said.

The ministry said 405,018 units of Grandeur TG sedans produced between Sept. 23, 2004 and Dec. 10, 2010 are also subject to the voluntary recall move.

The ministry said a short circuit could occur in a module on the anti-lock braking system and vehicle dynamic control in the two Hyundai models, which in turn may cause a fire.

The head office of Hyundai Motor Group in southern Seoul (Yonhap)

The latest recall, in addition, affects 7,787 units of the 320d and 30 other BMW models built between Nov. 24, 2004 and Dec. 21, 2012 as well as 2,095 units of Chrysler's 300C as air bag inflators built by Japan's Takata Corp. could potentially hurt drivers when an air bag is deployed.

BMW is set to begin recalling the affected vehicles on Friday.

Takata said on its website last year that certain inflator ruptures are caused by a combination of long-term exposure to high heat, absolute humidity and temperature cycling.

The affected vehicles also include 4,059 units of Jaguar sedans and SUVs, Range Rover vehicles, Range Rover Sport vehicles as well as 515 Jeep Renegade compact SUVs for faulty software that may cause a malfunction of dashboard, the ministry said.

Mercedes-Benz Korea began recalling 186 Mercedes-AMG C63 sedan and coupes over a failure in their electronic stability program and three S350 BlueTEC and six other models for defective safety belts, the ministry

The ministry also said a total of 931 Comet 650 motorbikes will also be recalled because of faulty clutches that may cause engine oil leaks.

The automakers are required to inform the owners of the vehicles to be recalled by e-mail or text message.

People who had the defects in their cars fixed on their own before recalls are eligible for compensation from the automakers.

The ministry advised owners of vehicles to visit the recall center at www.car.go.kr to get information on the recalls. (Yonhap)