Investigations


NHTSA IDManufacturerDate openDate closeSubjectRecall campaign
AIR BAGS
DP03001HYUNDAI MOTOR COMPANY03/26/200308/01/2003IMPROPER FRONTAL AIR BAG PERFORMANCE
 Hyundai has received 49 reports from customers stating the frontal air bags did not deploy in a crash for the subject vehicles.examination of suplimental information provided to odi by the manufacturer for the reported cases it appeared that the necessary air bag deployment threshold was not met.there have been no fatal incidents or reports of serious injury as a result of being in a frontal crash and the air bags not deploying.in view of the foregoing, it is unlikely that nhtsa would issue an order for the notification remedy of a safety defect in the subject vehicles as defined by the petitioner at the conclusion of the investigation requested in the petition.therefore, in view of the need to allocate and prioritize the nhtsa's limited resources to best accomplish the agency's safety mission, the petition is denied.for further details, refer to odi
AIR BAGS - FRONTAL
DP03001HYUNDAI MOTOR COMPANY03/26/200308/01/2003IMPROPER FRONTAL AIR BAG PERFORMANCE
 Hyundai has received 49 reports from customers stating the frontal air bags did not deploy in a crash for the subject vehicles.examination of suplimental information provided to odi by the manufacturer for the reported cases it appeared that the necessary air bag deployment threshold was not met.there have been no fatal incidents or reports of serious injury as a result of being in a frontal crash and the air bags not deploying.in view of the foregoing, it is unlikely that nhtsa would issue an order for the notification remedy of a safety defect in the subject vehicles as defined by the petitioner at the conclusion of the investigation requested in the petition.therefore, in view of the need to allocate and prioritize the nhtsa's limited resources to best accomplish the agency's safety mission, the petition is denied.for further details, refer to odi
AIR BAGS - FRONTAL - SENSOR/CONTROL MODULE
DP03001HYUNDAI MOTOR COMPANY03/26/200308/01/2003IMPROPER FRONTAL AIR BAG PERFORMANCE
 Hyundai has received 49 reports from customers stating the frontal air bags did not deploy in a crash for the subject vehicles.examination of suplimental information provided to odi by the manufacturer for the reported cases it appeared that the necessary air bag deployment threshold was not met.there have been no fatal incidents or reports of serious injury as a result of being in a frontal crash and the air bags not deploying.in view of the foregoing, it is unlikely that nhtsa would issue an order for the notification remedy of a safety defect in the subject vehicles as defined by the petitioner at the conclusion of the investigation requested in the petition.therefore, in view of the need to allocate and prioritize the nhtsa's limited resources to best accomplish the agency's safety mission, the petition is denied.for further details, refer to odi

Consumer Complaints


Fail datemilesoccurencesPurchase date
AIR BAGS
06/11/200476000307/13/1999
 I received a recall on my 1999 hyundai sonata. the air bag light was on. i brought the car into the dealer on august 02 2002. they installed a side air bag wiring harness. later the light came on again. i brought the car back in april 13 2004, they reset the codes, turned the air bag light off and advised me not to put anything under the seats. on 6/14/2004 the light came back on. i called the office and they told me that they could look at it but it is not under warranty and not under the recall. they told me that i would have to pay to have it fixed. they only fix it once on a recall. if it comes back on again i as a consumer need to pay to fix it. i then called hyundai. i was concerned with the safety of the vehicle. i was told that the air bags still work and that the light will not affect the operation of the air bags. i have done a little research on this over the years and found that there are many incidents where the front air bags did not deploy . i feel that the air bag problem should be fixed free of charge. *jb
06/11/20041
 I have a 1999 hyunda sonata. i have had many problem with my wiring on my doors and also with the air bag light. i did get a recall for the air bag light and brought the car in. they fixed it, but the light came back on with in a few weeks. i called the dealer and they would not fix it again without charging me. i still have the light illuminated and would like it fixed, but don't feel i should have to pay for it. i have received several different responses from the people at hyundai. some of the people say that my air bags will still work, and some say they won't. i am sure other sonata owners have had the same problem. when i called hyundai, they said it is due to the wiring harness beneath the seat, and if you ever put anything under the seat the air bag light will come on. it does not appear to me that the problem is solved. could you please investigate this and let me know. i do not trust the vehicle with the light on, but refused to take it in and pay for them to temporarily fix it. *ak
06/01/2003601/10/1999
 Many previous problems with the airbag in my 1999 hyundai, sonata. my airbag did not deploy in a traffic accident. the car was total june 1, 2003. *nlm
05/03/200334000708/16/2001
 Purchased car august 16th 2001 shortly after purchase about 3 months later the check engine light came on so i took it back to the place of which i purchased it wyatt johnson hyundai dealership in clarksville tn . at that time the o2 sensor had went bad so that was replaced and we were also advised that it was way past due on transmission fluid which was their fault so they replaced that as well. a few months went by and the same thing happened again. these were once replaced again on the opposite side of the car. also about 4 to 5 months later the check engine light came back on and the car was sputtering and then would not start because the spark plugs wires were fried as if they had caught on fire so they too replaced that with all new ones. i asked the manager there at the dealership what happens when the warranty runs out considering it had 34,000 miles on it when we bought it he stated that this would not happen again. well now since then we have moved and the same problem keeps happening the airbag light is on of which we never received notification of this that it was a recall, there is the engine light on again and the car will not even start i have a 13 month old baby and nothing to drive.*jb
AIR BAGS - FRONTAL
07/14/20081307061
 The car (1999 sonata gls v6) had a front end alignment done by sears july 6, 2008 at kenosha wi. the failure occurred (july 14, 2008) when the car was being driven into the hospital parking garage (waukegan illinois). the car speed was 5 mph when it made a grinding sound and jolted to a stop. sparks from under the car were witnessed by security guard who it reported to the driver of car. the car would not start and had to be pushed out of road to prevent blocking traffic. inspection of the vehicle showed the subframe broke from corrosion causing the engine to drop then breaking the axle shaft. the car would not start and had to towed back to home by aaa. currently have complaint at hyundai dealer where car was purchased. working with hyundai service manager who states first he has heard of it. the auto technician employed at the shop states is a common item. the car has been in the shop several times for intermittent air bag light that would come on and remain on. the air bag light could not be found what was causing the problem. *tr
AIR BAGS - SIDE/WINDOW
04/01/2010
 1999 hyundai sonat gls airbag warning light continues to come on after being worked on by hyundai dealer 10-15 times. was worked on without issue while under warranty with no success. once extended warrenty expired, the dealer then knew that the car needed a new wire harness for about $1000. the service manager then suggested that i hard -wire the wire harness to get around the connector issue. is there a recourse to an airbag problkem that has been worked on at least a dozen times?
06/11/200476000307/13/1999
 I received a recall on my 1999 hyundai sonata. the air bag light was on. i brought the car into the dealer on august 02 2002. they installed a side air bag wiring harness. later the light came on again. i brought the car back in april 13 2004, they reset the codes, turned the air bag light off and advised me not to put anything under the seats. on 6/14/2004 the light came back on. i called the office and they told me that they could look at it but it is not under warranty and not under the recall. they told me that i would have to pay to have it fixed. they only fix it once on a recall. if it comes back on again i as a consumer need to pay to fix it. i then called hyundai. i was concerned with the safety of the vehicle. i was told that the air bags still work and that the light will not affect the operation of the air bags. i have done a little research on this over the years and found that there are many incidents where the front air bags did not deploy . i feel that the air bag problem should be fixed free of charge. *jb