Investigations
| NHTSA ID | Manufacturer | Date open | Date close | Subject | Recall campaign | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL | ||||||
| PE09003 | HYUNDAI MOTOR COMPANY | 01/14/2009 | 04/24/2009 | STOP LAMP SWITCH FAILURE | 09V122000 | |
| By letter dated april 15, 2009, hyundai notified the agency that it will conduct a safety recall (nhtsa recall number 09v122) to replace the stop lamp switches on many of its model year 2005-2008 vehicles.see recall 09v122 for a complete list. the agency opened its investigation based on five complaints of stop lamp failure across several 2007 hyundai models. the agency also received early warning (ewr) reports on this issue.most of those failures were traced to the improper operation of the stop lamp switch that controls stop lamp illumination.a malfunctioning stop lamp switch can cause the vehicle's brake lights not to light during braking, or alternatively, it can cause the brake lights to stay lit even when a driver takes the foot off the brake pedal. failure of the stop lamps to illuminate properly creates the hazard of rear end collisions when drivers following the subject vehicle do not recognize that the vehicle is slowing or stopping. hyundai reported one crash incident (a frontal impact), without injury, that was alleged to have been caused by this defect.the agency reviewed the incident and cannot conclude that it is related to this defect. there are other potential problems related to failure of the stop lamp switch: failure of the cruise control to disengage, interference with proper functioning of antilock brakes and electronic stability control, and inability to move the gear shift lever out of park position.based on the above safety recall, this investigation is closed. | ||||||
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL | |||
| 12/13/2011 | 37662 | 1 | |
| A steering failure occurred at about 50 mph while entering a gentle curve to the left. it caused the car to veer to the left. car left the travel lane and briefly entered the smoothly paved and level shoulder of the divided roadway. correction to the right triggered esc system. at that point the driver input to steering and brakes were overridden by the esc system. esc sent car straight ahead but we were on a curve. this sent the car into the guard rail on the right side of the road after crossing both lanes because the car would not respond to steering wheel forces or to brakes. the car lightly grazed the guard rail causing a shallow dent in the rear fender. body damage was limited to the rear fender in this case and the airbags did not deploy. why not? this is, however, a deadly type of failure because the car sends you wherever it wants to go and you cannot do anything about it. we could have been sent into oncoming traffic or over the side of a cliff. as the car finally slowed, the esc system eventually shut itself off and we could, once again, steer the car. but, this was way too late to prevent the damage. the car did not fail in a fail-safe manner. this event was triggered by a sudden mechanical failure in the steering system as evidenced by very badly misaligned front wheels and steering angle errors in the computer system. tires do not show unusual wear from the misalignment because it happened suddenly at the time of the incident. a hyundai field service engineer inspected the car. hyundai will not tell us what failed so we do not know root cause. in fact, hyundai denies there was a steering failure. car is not safe to drive. *tr | |||
| 12/13/2011 | 37662 | ||
| A steering failure occurred at about 50 mph while entering a gentle curve to the left. it caused the car to veer to the left. car left the travel lane and briefly entered the smoothly paved and level shoulder of the divided roadway. correction to the right triggered esc system. at that point the driver input to steering and brakes were overridden by the esc system. esc sent car straight ahead but we were on a curve. this sent the car into the guard rail on the right side of the road after crossing both lanes because the car would not respond to steering wheel forces or to brakes. the car lightly grazed the guard rail causing a shallow dent in the rear fender. body damage was limited to the rear fender in this case and the airbags did not deploy. why not? this is, however, a deadly type of failure because the car sends you wherever it wants to go and you cannot do anything about it. we could have been sent into oncoming traffic or over the side of a cliff. as the car finally slowed, the esc system eventually shut itself off and we could, once again, steer the car. but, this was way too late to prevent the damage. the car did not fail in a fail-safe manner. this event was triggered by a sudden mechanical failure in the steering system as evidenced by very badly misaligned front wheels and steering angle errors in the computer system. tires do not show unusual wear from the misalignment because it happened suddenly at the time of the incident. a hyundai field service engineer inspected the car. hyundai will not tell us what failed so we do not know root cause. in fact, hyundai denies there was a steering failure. car is not safe to drive. | |||
| 07/20/2010 | 48000 | ||
| Immediately after having the dashboard cover replaced due to defect in cover, the esc/abs system began engaging at approx 28 mph on right hand curves. system was trying to apply brake to one of the rear wheels. pavement was warm and dry and the car was not in a skid situation. dealer and hyundai corporate engineers have tried to find cause and correct but have not been able to succesfully fix the problem. this has been ongoing for about a year now. i have concerns that the esc/abs system(s) may not function properly when needed in slippery-road conditions. | |||