Hyundai Recalls Over 200,000 Vehicles for Power Steering Defect

The New York Times reports that Hyundai recalled nearly 205,000 of its Elantra vehicles over a dangerous defect that causes cars’ power steering to stop while the vehicle is in use. The multinational car manufacturer reported the defect earlier this year and indicated that vehicles made between the years 2008 and 2010 may be impacted by the defect.

In the report, Hyundai stated that, when the Electronic Power Steering (EPS) stops, drivers would have to exert significant effort to operate vehicles, increasing the risk of an accident.

Although the cars are equipped with a dashboard light to will notify drivers when the EPS fails, it is impossible to know which vehicle are affected before the failure occurs without a mechanical investigation.

To remedy the defect, Hyundai has contact drivers of the affected cars, urging them to take their vehicles to Hyundai dealer for an inspection and repair, if necessary.

Automakers Criticized for EPS Failure Safety Risk

Hyundai isn’t the first automaker to experience this problem, but few companies consider power steering failure threatening enough to warrant a recall.

Recent criticism from Congress draws attention to the actual danger of EPS failure, though. In fact, Hyundai admitted it was aware of the problem since 2010 but didn’t take action until now.

“Hyundai’s understanding has been that the loss of power steering assist has not, in the past, been considered as a safety-related defect in the United States,” said the manufacturer.

As automakers and safety experts research power steering failure defects, the risks associated with them became more apparent, encouraging Hyundai to recall the defective cars.

Hyundai said that it recalled the cars “to remain consistent with that industry trend.”

If you suffered a serious injury in a car accident caused by an auto defect, contact a Texas personal injury attorney from the Law Office of Daniel D. Horowitz, III PC now.