The defect
HYUNDAI IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2007-2009 ELANTRA VEHICLES MANUFACTURED FROM JULY 14, 2006, THROUGH NOVEMBER 1, 2008. THE FRONT PASSENGER SEATS IN THE VEHICLES CONTAIN A WEIGHT SENSOR DESIGNED TO DEACTIVATE THE RIGHT FRONTAL AIRBAG WHEN OCCUPANTS OF CERTAIN WEIGHTS OCCUPY THE SEAT. THE ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR FOR THE WEIGHT SENSOR IS LOCATED UNDER THE CENTER CONSOLE, BETWEEN THE FRONT SEATS. UNDER CERTAIN CIRCUMSTANCES THE CONNECTOR COULD BECOME CONTAMINATED AND MALFUNCTION SUCH THAT THE FRONT PASSENGER AIRBAG WILL DEPLOY REGARDLESS OF THE WEIGHT OF THE OCCUPANT.
The risk
THE FRONT PASSENGER AIR BAG COULD DEPLOY IN CRASHES IN WHICH IT SHOULD NOT DEPLOY, INCREASING THE RISK OF INJURY TO THE SEAT OCCUPANT FROM THE DEPLOYED AIR BAG.
The remedy
DEALERS WILL INSTALL A PROTECTIVE COVER OVER THE WEIGHT CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM CONNECTOR TO PREVENT CONTAMINATION. THIS SERVICE WILL BE PERFORMED FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL IS EXPECTING TO BEGIN DURING APRIL 2011. OWNERS MAY CONTACT HYUNDAI'S CUSTOMER ASSISTANCE CENTER AT 1-800-633-5151.
NHTSA's own wording · initiated by MFR
Vehicles covered
| Model | Model years |
|---|---|
| Hyundai Elantra | 2007, 2008, 2009 |
Components: AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:SENSOR/CONTROL MODULE-INACTIVE
Model years in this recall
NHTSA complaints and the number of recall campaigns for each model year this recall covers.
| Model | Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hyundai Elantra | 2007 | 267 | 6 |
| Hyundai Elantra | 2008 | 314 | 7 |
| Hyundai Elantra | 2009 | 254 | 4 |
Other air bags recalls in 2011
13 of the 597 recall campaigns reported to NHTSA in 2011 concerned the air bags; HYUNDAI MOTOR COMPANY filed 48 campaigns in all.
| 11V580000 6 Dec 2011 | VOLKSWAGEN OF AMERICA, INC |
| 11V543000 8 Nov 2011 | GENERAL MOTORS LLC |
| 11V534000 4 Nov 2011 | GENERAL MOTORS LLC |
| 11V528000 2 Nov 2011 | CHRYSLER GROUP LLC |
| 11V472000 9 Sept 2011 | HYUNDAI MOTOR COMPANY |
| 11V473000 7 Sept 2011 | KIA MOTORS CORPORATION |
| 11V408000 9 Aug 2011 | NISSAN NORTH AMERICA, INC. |
| 11V321000 13 Jun 2011 | SPARTAN CHASSIS, INC. |
NHTSA recalls (public domain) · all recalls of 2011