Hyundai, Renault Samsung to recall 74,000 mid-size cars

Hyundai Motor Co. and Renault Samsung Motor Co. will recall around 74,000 mid-size passenger cars sold in South Korea due to a manufacturing defect and a safety problem, respectively, Seoul's transportation ministry said Sunday.

Renault Samsung, the local unit of French automaker Renault SA, will recall 55,648 units of its mid-size car SM5 produced between Aug. 12, 2009 and Oct. 29, 2010, and 65,157 units of its compact sedan SM3 produced between April 23, 2009 and Aug. 10, 2010, according to the Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs.

The two passenger vehicles are found to have had air bags mounted inappropriately, which could lead to malfunctioning of the air bags.

In the case of Hyundai Motors, South Korea's largest car maker, there is a defect in rear reflectors of 19,211 units of its mid-size passenger car YF Sonata and 8,050 units of its sports utility vehicle Tucsan ix. The YF Sonatas were produced between March 30, 2010 and May 17, 2010, and the Tucsan ix between Feb. 27, 2010 and April 17, 2010.

Owners of the vehicles, who can receive free repairs at the car makers' service centers, are eligible to ask the companies to compensate them for costs they had already paid for the repairs before the recalls were announced.

(Yonhap News)