Hyundai class action lawsuit overview:
- Who: A group of four plaintiffs filed a class action lawsuit against Hyundai Motor America and Hyundai Motor Company.
- Why: They claim Hyundai knew about defects in its direct driver monitoring system (DDMS) but failed to remedy the situation.
- Where: The Hyundai class action lawsuit was filed in California federal court.
A new class action lawsuit alleges certain Hyundai vehicles are equipped with a defective direct driver monitoring system that makes them unsafe to drive.
Four plaintiffs filed the Hyundai class action lawsuit on Sept. 16 in California federal court.
According to the Hyundai class action lawsuit, each class vehicle is equipped with a forward attention warning (FAW) system designed to signal an alert when the driver appears distracted. The forward attention warning system monitors the driver’s attention through the DDMS, which uses a dashboard-mounted infrared camera.
The complaint alleges the DDMS camera is defective and routinely malfunctions, misinterpreting driver movements and triggering frequent false alarms and sudden braking that make the vehicles unsafe.
Plaintiffs claim the system misidentifies distraction based on ordinary factors like sunglasses, eyeglasses, hats, sun glare, slight head movements, seat height or steering wheel hand placement.
They seek to represent a proposed class of current and former owners and lessees of 2024-2026 Hyundai Santa Fe, 2025-2026 Hyundai Ioniq 5, 2025-2026 Hyundai Tucson, 2025-2026 Hyundai Santa Cruz and 2026 Hyundai Palisade vehicles, all of which are equipped with the same forward attention warning system.
Lawsuit claims Hyundai knew about defective FAW system
Plaintiffs in the Hyundai class action lawsuit allege the company knew about the forward attention warning system defect but has yet to provide a fix.
They point to a technical service bulletin issued by Hyundai to its authorized service centers in January 2025 that acknowledged the problem. However, the Hyundai class action lawsuit says Hyundai’s proposed solution was for drivers to wear different sunglasses or glasses, adjust their seats and “look at the road.”
The plaintiffs claim Hyundai has not recalled the vehicles to repair the defect, offered its customers a suitable repair or replacement free of charge or reimbursed consumers who have incurred out-of-pocket expenses in an attempt to repair the defect.
As a result of the defect, the plaintiffs say they and other class members have suffered injury in fact, incurred damages and have otherwise been harmed by Hyundai’s conduct because they paid for and received a vehicle with an undisclosed and significant safety defect.
They assert claims for violations of California’s Unfair Competition Law and Consumers Legal Remedies Act, breach of express and implied warranty and unjust enrichment.
In a separate case, a Hyundai consumer claims the automaker knew about a defect in the automatic emergency braking system in Tucson SUVs before bringing the vehicles to market.
What do you think of the allegations made in this Hyundai class action lawsuit? Tell us in the comments.
The plaintiffs are represented by Paula R. Brown, Christopher R. Rodriguez and Andrew D. Bluth of Singleton Schreiber LLP.
The Hyundai class action lawsuit is Ledezma, et al. v. Hyundai Motor America, et al., Case No. 2:26-cv-10562, in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.
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