April 20, 2024
Automobiles
Hyundai disputes recall order for 1st time
[THE INVESTOR] Hyundai Motor, the nation’s largest carmaker, has objected to a request by the Ministry of Transport to recall tens of thousands of vehicles with defects found after an expose by a former worker of the company, officials said on April 26.
The ministry had conducted probes on 32 cases claimed by the whistleblower surnamed Kim last year, and found defects in five cases. Officials had asked the carmaker to carry out a voluntary recall procedure for the cases -- four last month and one this week -- citing possible safety problems. But Hyundai declined to follow the order, calling for a chance to overturn the ministry’s decision at a hearing session.
It is the first time that the ministry will hold a hearing session after an objection made by a carmaker, officials said.
After the hearing, set to be held in the next 10 days, the ministry has to make a final decision on whether to force the company to recall its cars. Roughly around 200,000 vehicles are likely to be subjected to the recall.
Hyundai said that it was exercising its rights because the company has different views over the ministry’s decision, an official at the company said.
The five cases include Hyundai’s seventh-generation Sonata sedan, which was found with defects in the alert system for its emergency brakes. The warning light on the Sonata LF’s dashboard, which is supposed to show a driver whether the parking brakes are on or off, does not work properly. This could mean that a driver might operate the car with the emergency brake on, the ministry said.
On the four cases highlighted by the ministry last month, Hyundai also told officials that it would be difficult to accept the ministry’s decision. A defect was found in the canisters of Hyundai’s luxury lineups Genesis and Equus, and the vacuum pipe of the Avante was damaged. The fuel hose of the R-engine was also found to be broken in the Sorento, Carnival and Santa Fe, according to officials.
South Korea’s Transport Ministry previously found defects in Hyundai’s theta II engine, based on the report by the whistleblower. Earlier this month, the carmaker voluntarily recalled a total of 171,348 units with the engine made before August 2013. The carmaker also decided to recall 114,000 vehicles with defects in the engine in Canada.
By Cho Chung-un/The Korea Herald (christory@heraldcorp.com)
The ministry had conducted probes on 32 cases claimed by the whistleblower surnamed Kim last year, and found defects in five cases. Officials had asked the carmaker to carry out a voluntary recall procedure for the cases -- four last month and one this week -- citing possible safety problems. But Hyundai declined to follow the order, calling for a chance to overturn the ministry’s decision at a hearing session.
It is the first time that the ministry will hold a hearing session after an objection made by a carmaker, officials said.
After the hearing, set to be held in the next 10 days, the ministry has to make a final decision on whether to force the company to recall its cars. Roughly around 200,000 vehicles are likely to be subjected to the recall.
Hyundai said that it was exercising its rights because the company has different views over the ministry’s decision, an official at the company said.
The five cases include Hyundai’s seventh-generation Sonata sedan, which was found with defects in the alert system for its emergency brakes. The warning light on the Sonata LF’s dashboard, which is supposed to show a driver whether the parking brakes are on or off, does not work properly. This could mean that a driver might operate the car with the emergency brake on, the ministry said.
On the four cases highlighted by the ministry last month, Hyundai also told officials that it would be difficult to accept the ministry’s decision. A defect was found in the canisters of Hyundai’s luxury lineups Genesis and Equus, and the vacuum pipe of the Avante was damaged. The fuel hose of the R-engine was also found to be broken in the Sorento, Carnival and Santa Fe, according to officials.
South Korea’s Transport Ministry previously found defects in Hyundai’s theta II engine, based on the report by the whistleblower. Earlier this month, the carmaker voluntarily recalled a total of 171,348 units with the engine made before August 2013. The carmaker also decided to recall 114,000 vehicles with defects in the engine in Canada.
By Cho Chung-un/The Korea Herald (christory@heraldcorp.com)
