Overall, 67,000 new Sonata sedans, 46,000 cars in South Korea and 1,300 in the U.S., are involved in the recall.
Announcement of the voluntary recall was made on Wednesday and the company immediately suspended sales of all 2011 Hyundai Sonata sedans. The rapid-fire move was made in contrast to Toyota Motor Corp.’s relatively slow response to quality issues that has garnered the company criticism from politicians and analysts.
“Recalls have become a highly sensitive issue,” analyst Yim Eun-young from Dongbu Securities said in an interview with Reuters. “Hyundai seems to have decided to deal with these issues as fast as they can.”
The door to the 2011 Sonata—which went on sale two weeks ago—may not close properly in some instances. The Sonata is Hyundai’s top-selling vehicle in the United States.
“To avoid a possible occurrence of the problem, Hyundai has been applying modified parts to some of its Korean and U.S. production models,” Hyundai said in a company statement.
The recall comes on the heels of Toyota’s massive 8.5 million vehicle recall over brakes, accelerator pedals, and floor mats. In recent weeks, Hyundai—the biggest automaker in Korea—has benefited from Toyota’s woes.
Hyundai increased its U.S. sales by an industry-leading 8.3 percent in 2009 and is widely seen as one of the fastest-growing brands on the market.
So far, the automaker is not aware of any accidents or injuries resulting from the defect.
