Dealers will repair the identified transmission issue that may make the South Korean automaker's mid-sized sedans unsafe to drive.
A transmission defect discovered in numerous Hyundai Sonata models sold in the U.S. and Puerto Rico has prompted the automaker to recall 883,000 of the mid-sized sedans to allow dealers to fix the problem.
The defective transmission shift cable in Sonata model years 2011 to 2014 is prone to detaching from the shift lever pin, “causing the gear selection not to match the indicated gear,” Reuters reported this week citing U.S. safety regulators.
Although no crashes, injuries or deaths have been linked to the transmission defect, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has taken a proactive stance that it needs to be fixed. The South Korean automaker reported receiving 1,171 warranty claims and seven “incidents, including not being to take the car out of park,” Reuters reported.
Of the vehicles recalled, 800,000 were sold in the U.S. and 3,000 in Puerto Rico. Hyundai officials were not sure if Sonata models sold in other territories were affected. Sonata owners in U.S. and Puerto Rico will be notified of the recall by mail “by the third quarter,” the company announced.
Hyundai is also recalling 5,650 of its 2015 Sonata model in the U.S. and Puerto Rico to address a known defect in one or both front brake calipers, which may crack and increase crash risk, according to NHTSB documents posted on the agency’s website this week.
Only 200 new Sonata models have been purchased so far, so dealers were instructed to hold off on selling the cars until the calipers are fixed, a Hyundai spokesperson told Reuters.
The 2.4L, 4-cylinder, four-door 2015 Hyundai Sonata sedan has a base price of $21,150 for an SE model and goes up to $28,575 for a Sport 2.0T model, according to Edmunds.com.
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