Defective Airbag and Suspension Plague Hyundais
Federal officials are investigating airbag failures in the 2001 and 2002 Hyundai Elantra models, according to an article in the consumer watchdog website Consumeraffairs.com. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is including more than 150,000 of these economy-priced, Korean sedans in its investigation.
Federal investigators say the defective airbags failed to deploy in at least two fatality crashes that involved the Elantra. NHTSA and Hyundai have reportedly received 501 consumer complaints about the airbag system failures in the Elantra. Hyundai has also repaired the airbag system in more than 9,000 Elantra sedans under warranty claims. More disturbing is a letter from a consumer to Consumeraffairs.com stating that airbags also failed to deploy in his 2006 Hyundai Tucson during a rollover accident.
Airbags are not the only problem with the Elantra. NHTSA is investigating claims of catastrophic suspension failure in these vehicles, which nearly led to rollover accidents, according to some consumer complaints. In some models such as the Hyundai Santa Fe and Sonata, the suspension could rust to the point of breaking, reports say.
NHTSA has received 40 consumer complaints so far about severe corrosion in Sonatas, model years 1999 through 2002. Some consumers are reported “fist-sized holes in the frame,” that could cause the suspension control arm to detach from the vehicle and result in a crash, federal safety investigators say.
These airbag and suspension defects are serious issues that could result in catastrophic injuries or fatal auto accidents. Hyundai should do the right thing and recall these vehicles as soon as possible to avoid deadly accidents. When consumers buy a vehicle equipped with airbags, they expect the airbags to deploy during an auto accident. But the unfortunate fact is that airbag defects continue to rise in the face of technological advancements. Since 1997, more than 4 million vehicles have been recalled for airbag defects involving auto makers including Ford, Honda, General Motors, DaimlerChrysler and Toyota.
If you have experienced airbag failures in Hyundai Elantras or suffered a severe injury as a result of a defective vehicle, we’d like to hear about it.
