44,000 vehicles recalled by Hyundai
The 2018 Hyundai Santa Fe and Santa Fe Sport have a serious defect relating to their steering wheels. According to the automaker, the steering assembly could potentially break off in your hands while driving, leaving your vehicle completely uncontrollable.
As terrifying as this sounds, Hyundai drivers can rest assured that no injuries or deaths relating to this problem have been reported thus far. Only one report has been issued from a man who claimed his steering wheel broke off while his Santa Fe was still parked.
Hyundai said that the problem was likely the result of something that went wrong while heating the materials used to create the steering wheel assembly. Due to heating the materials to a temperature that was too high during the building process, they are weaker than they should be. That means they are subject to breaking and shattering.
The automaker has assured buyers that the 2018 Santa Fe and Santa Fe Sport were the only cars affected by the defective steering wheels. “No other Hyundai or Genesis vehicles not mentioned in this report use the same steering wheel assembly or contain steering wheel assemblies from the suspect production lot,” the automaker said.
Since this recall only affects 44,000 cars, most drivers in Roseville will not be directly affected by this recall. However, like other motor vehicle recalls, it’s important to note that these vehicle defects do not only pose a threat to the drivers who own and operate the cars.
They also pose a threat to the passengers riding inside them and the other drivers and pedestrians they share the road with. Failure to fix a recalled vehicle like this could render the vehicle owner liable in the event that the defect causes a vehicle collision resulting in injury.
Source: Car and Driver, “Hyundai Recalls 43,941 Santa Fe and Santa Fe Sport SUVs after Two Steering Wheels Detach,” David Muller, March 06, 2018