Kia and Hyundai Recall 300,000 Vehicles for Faulty Hood Latch

Top Class Actions’s website and social media posts use affiliate links. If you make a purchase using such links, we may receive a commission, but it will not result in any additional charges to you. Please review our Affiliate Link Disclosure for more information.

An estimated 300,000 Kia and Hyundai SUVs will be recalled to remedy a defective hood latch that could cause the vehicle’s hood to pop open while driving.

Vehicles potentially affected by the recall include almost 220,000 Kia Sedonas of model years 2006 to 2014, manufactured between June 2005 and April 2014. Also affected will be about 81,000 Hyundai Tucsons of model year 2016, manufactured between May 2015 and March 2016.

Affected vehicles were built with a secondary hood latch that may stick in the open position while the hood is closed, leaving it unable to secure the hood.

According to notices issued on June 10 by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, “[i]f the primary hood latch is inadvertently released and the secondary latch cannot secure the hood, the hood may unexpectedly open while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.”

The NHTSA says Kia and Hyundai will begin the recall in July 2016. The manufacturers will notify affected owners, and dealers will either replace the secondary hood latch or clean and lubricate it, depending on the vehicle’s location and what condition the latch is in. Both remedies will be performed free of charge, according to the NHTSA’s announcement.

Kia says in a statement that the recall is being issued voluntarily. The problem is purportedly caused by corrosion within the latch. Replacement latches will have a special coating to inhibit corrosion.

Other Kia and Hyundai Recalls

Recent model years of both the Sedona and the Tucson have been subject to other recalls in the past few years. In 2013, both models were recalled over a defective brake switch. That recall affected nearly 625,000 Kia vehicles and about 1.1 million Hyundai vehicles.

The faulty switch could have potentially prevented the brake light from illuminating when the brake pedal was depressed, possibly causing a crash. The defect could also cause the push-button starter not to function properly, the shift interlock to disengage causing the transmission to get stuck in park, and the cruise control not to disengage when the brake lever was pressed.

The same recall also affected Hyundai Accents, Elantras, Santa Fes, Veracruzes, Sonatas and Genesis Coupes, from model years as early as 2007 to as late as 2011.

Three model years’ worth of Hyundai Tucsons were also subject to a 2014 recall because of a defective airbag. The NHTSA said that in over 140,000 Tucsons from model years 2011 through 2014, the airbag assembly inside the steering wheel could come loose from its mounting, increasing the driver’s risk of injury in the event of a crash.

A representative from Hyundai said the defect was related to two bolts within the assembly that may not have been tightened properly while the vehicles were being built.

Yet another airbag recall affected 186,000 Hyundai Elantras in 2013. That defect had the potential to displace a metal support bracket in the car’s headliner in the event of a side impact crash, potentially lacerating passengers. The defect affected Elantras from model years 2011 through 2013.