In affected models, the steering wheel assembly may break, resulting in the steering wheel detaching from the steering column while the vehicle is being driven, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
The recall affects:
- 12,574 Santa Fe vehicles manufactured from June to December 2017 in South Korea;
- 13,749 Santa Fe Sports manufactured from July to October 2017 at Hyundai’s Alabama plant;
- 17,618 Santa Fe Sports produced between August and October at Kia’s Georgia plant, and
- 8,456 vehicles in Canada.
“These vehicles may contain defective steering wheel assemblies from a certain suspect production lot from the supplier,” the automaker said. “No other Hyundai or Genesis vehicles not mentioned in this report use the same steering wheel assembly or contain steering wheel assemblies from the suspect production lot.”
Dealers will examine affected vehicles free of charge and replace the steering wheel assembly if necessary. The company will begin notifying owners by mail later this month.
To date, no accidents or injuries have been associated with the recall, Hyundai said.
Source: Auto Magazine