Hyundai halts sales of the 2011 Sonata due to door glitch
By Andrew C., 30 Aug, 2010. 0 Comments
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Sales of Hyundai's 2011 Sonata sedan had been halted after Hyundai Motor America Inc. reported a product glitch to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Hyundai has notified dealers about the recall over complaints that the front door-lock modules on some cars can stick under certain cases. Hyundai spokesman Miles Johnson said that any issue related to door latches warrants a recall. This is a great blow to Hyundai since the Sonata is its biggest-volume vehicle, having sold 120,028 cars in 2009. The 2011 model actually started selling about two weeks ago.
About 1,300 cars have been sold and there are about 5,000 cars in the US inventory. Hyundai has yet to determine how many of those cars have the faulty locks. Johnson explained that the malfunction occurs only in situations where front-seat passengers try to open their doors from the inside while simultaneously holding down the lock button.
This means that the interior door handle will not return to its normal position and the door cannot be fully closed. Pressing the lock button again will correct the problem and the door can now function correctly. Hyundai will repair the Sonata by replacing the front door-lock mechanism. Dealerships will soon be getting the replacement parts. As soon as the repairs are made, the stop-sale will be lifted.
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