The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced Asian automotive manufacturers Hyundai (NASDAQ: HYMTF), and Mitsubishi (NASDAQ: MSBHY) were recalling certain car models due to technical problems related to crashes or that can reportedly increase the risk of accidents. The recall will affect more than 82,000 vehicles.
South Korean company Hyundai will recall 2013 Elantra models because of issues related to deterioration of its brake pedal stopper, which could lead to the brake light staying on or the transmission changing during parking or even in motion.
Mitsubishi, from Japan, is doing the same with its 2015-2016 Outlander Sport models as well as 2016 Outlanders and Lancers. The vehicles have an improperly secured hose clamp associated with a transmission fluid leak.
Mitsubishi has a problem with a transmission fluid leakage
A bulletin emitted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration offered the technical details behind the transmission problems with Mitsubishi models.
While the continuously variable transmission (CVT) is also known to cause an acceleration delay in certain driving conditions, the hose clamps used on the CVT fluid hoses are said to be the main culprit for the recall.
The clamps might have been left in the open position and therefore not properly secure the hose end to the fitting. Thus, the tube could become disconnected while driving, which would trigger transmission fluid leakage resulting in transmission malfunction.
If the leak is severe, the models affected could become completely inoperable, increasing the risk of a crash. And if transmission fluid meets hot surfaces it can start a fire.
The Japanese automaker says that 45,731 of those models are registered in the United States and will ask owners via email to take their cars to a local Mitsubishi dealership for service. Dealers will check the hose clamps to see of they got correctly installed.
Hyundai wants to ‘break’ free from its brake issues
Meanwhile, Hyundai problems are related to brakes malfunction or even lack of brakes. Reports of unintended accelerations due to transmission shifting from park or brakes not braking go back as far as June 2013.
Most accidents then turned into complaints have happened while drivers were trying to park their cars. Cases like sudden acceleration with their foot on the brake or not, and cars not stopping when applying the brake have all ended in crashes against trees, walls or even buildings in parking gone wrong situations.
Federal regulators have found a dozen of similar complaints about the 2013 Hyundai Elantra stored in NHTSA files. Last April, some owners hadn’t received any recall notification from Hyundai, but it now appears the Seoul-based carmaker has finally decided to end the problems once and for all.
According to CarComplaints.com, the 2013 Elantra is the model with the most overall complaints. Its most reported problem is that brakes make grinding noises.
Source: NHTSA