Seoul, Sept. 26: Hyundai Motor, South Korea’s top automaker, will recall some 139,500 Sonata sedans sold in the United States, due to problems with the steering wheel that could cause a loss or reduction of control.
The automaker announced the recall after the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) opened a probe into steering problems in August, a move analysts said was aimed at heading off criticism that it was slow to respond.
“Hyundai’s pre-emptive action is fast enough to avoid any criticism in handling safety issues,” said Kim Byung-kuk, an analyst at Daishin Securities. No accidents or injuries occurred as a result of improper assembly or loose steering connections, Hyundai said in an email statement.