Hyundai and Kia may soon have a recall on their hands. The Hyundai and Kia recall of 2021 SUVs and cars has people who own Kias and Hyundais concerned. The Kia and Hyundai sudden acceleration problems may have been the cause of at least eight deaths and “numerous injuries.” A petition filed by two automotive safety experts calls into question whether Hyundai and Kia acceleration issues are to blame and whether a recall and any other action needs to follow.

The petition alleges six million Kia and Hyundai acceleration issues

Automotive experts Tom Murray and Byron Bloch allege that over six million Kia and Hyundai SUVs and cars have acceleration issues. These acceleration problems may have caused the accelerator to get “stuck” in Hyundai and Kia SUVs and cars. This would have caused their drivers to be catapulted at speeds up to 120 mph with no way of stopping.

The SUVs and cars potentially impacted include the 2005-2016 Kia Optima, 2005-2016 Kia K5, 2006-2015 Kia Sorento, 2007-2016 Hyundai Elantra, 2007-2016 Hyundai Santa Fe, and 2006-2015 Hyundai Sonata. The electronic throttle control system lacks a standard throttle cable, according to Car Complaints. Instead, it has an accelerator position sensor.

The accelerator position sensor receives input from the driver and adjusts the acceleration of the SUV or car accordingly. An issue within the throttle control system, which also includes the throttle body with an integrated control motor, wasn’t working properly. This is what caused the Kia and Hyundai acceleration issues.

Did Kia and Hyundai know about the acceleration problems?

It appears that Kia and Hyundai may have been aware of the issue for some time. According to the petition, Hyundai was made aware of the throttle sensor problem “no later than 2009.” In fact, the petition alleges that Hyundai was told that there was a “potentially dangerous and possibly fatal fault with the throttle sensor assembly.” The petition goes so far as to say that Hyundai’s own documentation proves that it knew about the Hyundai acceleration issues. It also may have known that Hyundai SUVs and cars weren’t accelerating properly including hesitating and surging at inappropriate times. Some Hyundai acceleration problems also led to stalling and power loss.

In addition, the Hyundai and Kia acceleration issues petition says that the throttle problems are deadly. It allegest that they don’t meet basic U.S. safety standards. The NHTSA form says they have been petitioned to look into Kia Motors America and Hyundai Motor America. “The petitioners allege the subject vehicles exhibit a range of dangerous vehicle speed control problems including sudden uncommanded acceleration, runaway throttle conditions, surging, stalling and loss of motive power, all due to various defects and vulnerabilities in the electronic throttle control system.”

Video of the Hyundai and Kia acceleration issues are pretty terrifying

The petition asking the NHTSA to investigate the Kia and Hyundai acceleration issues says that there have been eight fatalities due to these Hyundai and Kia acceleration problems. There may also have been many injuries due to them. There have been reports on the news detailing some of these problems. Several dash cams have captured the terrifying rides that drivers of these SUVs and cars have been on.

If the NHTSA does approve the petitioners’ request to investigate the Kia and Hyundai acceleration issues and find that there is merit behind them, it is likely that there will be a recall. It is unknown how many vehicles may be impacted. Over six million SUVs and cars are affected, according to the petition. It is possible this would be a widespread recall.

In addition, it is possible that other action could be taken as well. If you own one of these Hyundai or Kia SUVs or cars, you can check with the NHTSA website to remain up-to-date on the status of any potential Hyundai or Kia recall. And if you’re considering buying one of these vehicles – well, you just might want to wait to see how this plays out.