Hyundai Sonata 2011 U.S. recall for steering fault

The hot new 2011 Hyundai Sonata is third in the midsize car category in terms of sales in the high-volume U.S. market, displacing the Nissan Altima while gunning for the Toyota Camry and the Honda Accord. But such quick growth comes at a cost, as the Sonata has now been recalled for the second time.

Hyundai has issued a recall of 139,500 Sonata models over steering issues. The U.S. NHTSA safety agency says the “steering column intermediate shaft universal joint connections” may have been either improperly assembled or insufficiently tightened. This could cause a “complete separation or compromised attachment of the connections, such that the driver could experience a loss of, or reduction in, steering capability increasing the risk of a crash.”

The recall affects 2011 Hyundai Sonata sedans built between December 11, 2009 and September 10, 2010 in Hyundai’s U.S. factory. American dealers will re-torque the assembly and update the steering software for free. Local dealers have announced that this recall does not affect cars in the UAE, Saudi Arabia and other Middle East countries, as GCC-spec cars come from Korea.