Hyundai and Kia are recalling approximately 1.9 million vehicles in the U.S. to fix two issues involving air bags and faulty brake light switches according to the Associated Press.
Hyundai is recalling 1,059,824 cars and SUVs and Kia 623,658 vehicles from model years 2007 through 2011 to replace a switch that could increase the risk of a crash, according to documents filed with U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
The switch recall affects close to 1.7 million models made from 2007 through 2011. This recall is added to the 2009 recall involving a similar brake light switch issue that can lead to a number of different problems according to the NHTSA website.
Hyundai is recalling 194,000 Elantra models released in 2011 to 2013 to fix airbag issues. The NHTSA reported today, April 3, that a bracket can come loose, causing the air bag to deploy for no reason. This issue could be harmful to occupants according to the report.
"Failure to illuminate the stop lamps during braking or inability to disengage the cruise control could increase the risk of a crash," said the NHTSA in their report.
The light switch issue can cause four safety issues: brake lights may not go on, the cruise control may not turn off when the driver pushes the brake pedal, push-to-start buttons may not work on vehicles equipped with them, and a certain feature that prevents the driver from shifting out of park without a foot on the brake.
Failure to illuminate the brake lights or disengage cruise control could increase the risk of a crash, while disabling the brake-transmission interlock could cause the vehicle to rollaway, according to the NHTSA.
The affected Hyundai models include: 2007-2009 Accent cars and Tucson SUVs, 2007-2010 Elantras, 2007-2011 Santa Fe SUVs, 2008-2009 Veracruz SUVs, 2010-2011 Genesis coupes and 2011 Sonata cars, according to the NHTSA.
The affected Kia models include: 2011 Optima vehicles, 2007-2010 Rondo crossovers, 2007 Sedona minivans, 2007-2011 Sorento crossovers, 2010-2011 Soul cars and 2007-2010 Sportage SUVs according to the NHTSA.
Both companies have started notifying owners and dealers and will replace all issues free of charge.
Related Articles:
Porsche Introduces First Panamera Plug-In Hybrid, Two New Extended Wheelbase Variants (PHOTOS)
Body In Towed Car Found Three Days After Crash In North Carolina (PHOTOS/ VIDEO)
Apple CEO Apologizes To China In A Letter Over Warranty Policies, Read Here (VIDEO)
Airpocalypse In China: Air Pollution Causes 1.2 Million Deaths (VIDEO)
Subaru Recalls 200,000 Legacy, Outback Cars To Fix Brake Issues
See Now: OnePlus 6: How Different Will It Be From OnePlus 5?