Hyundai Recall Alert: 466,000 Sonata Sedans at Risk of Turn Signal Malfunction
The average vehicle model is affected by three recalls. Many minor recalls might not be as bad as they seem. But owners of a 2015 through 2017 Hyundai Sonata have several dangerous recalls to worry about. One of these is a turn signal malfunction.
The turn signal Hyundai recall affects 466,000 Sonatas
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and Hyundai have issued a recall for hundreds of thousands of Sonatas. All the affected cars are from 2015, 2016, or 2017 model years.
The NHTSA reports that when the driver activates the left or right turn signal in affected cars, the opposite signals may light up. If the blinkers misfire in this way, the opposite dashboard indicator will also light up, alerting the driver to the malfunction.
The NHTSA estimates that less than 1% of 205-17 Sonatas are affected. But with some states ruling you must use your turn signals, this malfunction is a major safety concern.
At the base of every Sonata’s turn signal control stem is a multifunctional switch. When the driver activates a turn signal, this switch signals to the Sonata’s Smart Junction Box (SJB). Sonata reports that the software in the SJB may sometimes misinterpret the signal from the switch and activate the wrong set of indicator lights.
Hundreds of thousands of Hyundai Sonatas may be affected. Hyundai recalled 432,981 Hyundai Sonatas from 2015 through 2017. The automaker also issued recalls for 30,684 hybrid electric Sonatas from either 2016 or 2017. Finally, Hyundai recalled 2,444 plug-in hybrid Sonatas from 2016 or 2017.
Hyundai will contact the owners of all the Sonatas at risk of a malfunction. Owners need only take their car to a Hyundai dealership, and technicians will update the vehicle’s software to prevent a turn signal malfunction. Hyundai will pay for the fix.
The multiple Hyundai Sonata recalls
Hyundai redesigned the Sonata for the sedan’s seventh-generation in 2015. The car received a facelift in 2017, and then the eighth generation debuted for the 2019 model year. Unfortunately, seventh-generation Hyundai Sonatas suffer from four recalls–in addition to the potentially malfunctioning turn signals.
In September 2021, Hyundai recalled 100,00 hybrid Hyundai vehicles, including Sonatas, for engine fire risk. The automaker revealed that the connector rod bearings were wearing out rapidly. Once the bearings wore away, the connecting rods created enough heat that some engines caught on fire.
In the summer of 2021, Hyundai and Kia recalled over 600,000 vehicles with faulty latches. According to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 401, every car needs an emergency release on the inside of its trunk. But in certain Hyundais, including some 2016-2018 Sonatas, this latch can wear out and break. Hyundai claims prolonged exposure to high temperatures contributes to the latch malfunctioning.
With recalls piling on top of one another, motorists may decide that the seventh-generation Sonata–from the problematic 2016 Sonata to the unreliable 2018 Sonata–is not worth the trouble.
