South Korean automaker Hyundai and its sister unit Kia have recalled around 1.8 million cars and sports utility vehicles (SUV) in the U.S. to fix faults.
Hyundai is recalling 1,059,824 cars and SUVs and Kia 623,658 vehicles, from the 2007 to 2011 model years. The company indicates that the recall is to repair a problem with a switch that could increase the risk of a crash in the cars, per the the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
Hyundai is also recalling 186,254 Elantra cars from 2011 to 2013 to apply adhesive strips to the interior roof liner of the car. The move is to prevent the interior roof liner becoming loose during the deployment of side-curtain airbags, which could increase the risk of cuts during a crash.
Hyundai and Kia Motors confirmed that there had been no crashes or injuries due to the problem in the cars. Furthermore, the companies also suggest that the malfunctions did not occur all the time and they did not affect performance of the brakes.
"Additionally, a malfunctioning stop lamp switch may also result in intermittent operation of the push-button start feature, affect the operation of the brake-transmission shift interlock feature, preventing the shifter from being moved out of the park position and cause the Electronic Stability Control (ESC) malfunction light to illuminate," stated NHTSA documents (via BBC).
The car makers are informing owners that dealers will replace the switch for free.
The affected Hyundai cars include 2007-2009 Accent cars and Tucson SUVs, 2007-2010 Elantras, 2007-2011 Santa Fe SUVs, 2008-2009 Veracruz SUVs, 2010-2011 Genesis coupes and 2011 Sonata cars.
The Kia-recalled cars include 2011 Optima cars, 2007-2010 Rondo crossovers, 2007 Sedona minivans, 2007-2011 Sorento crossovers, 2010-2011 Soul cars and 2007-2010 Sportage SUVs.
