No recall of Hyundai Sonata cars in Vietnam

Photo: Photo Courtesy of Hyundai Motors

The Hyundai Sonatas imported into Vietnam do not suffer from the defects in the steering wheel that led to a massive recall in the US, the Korean firm’s official dealer in Vietnam said.

Hyundai-Thanh Cong Vietnam Co explained that the 139,500 cars recalled in the US were made in Hyundai’s plants in Alabama, the US, while those imported into Vietnam are assembled in Korea.

The US cars had problems with the steering wheel that could cause a loss or reduction of control.

Korea’s biggest automaker Sunday announced the recall after the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration began a probe into steering problems in August, though no accidents or injuries occurred as a result of improper assembly or loose steering connections, according to wire service Reuters.

In February Sonata recalled 47,000 other vehicles in Korea and the US due to a front door lock fault.

The Vietnamese dealer of another Korean carmaker, Kia Motors has also announced a recall of 427 Sorentos in Vietnam.

Truong Hai Auto Group will fix the faults in a section of the door wiring loom that controls the "mood" lighting inside in cars imported from Korea and the US.

Hyundai owns about 40 percent stake in Kia.

Kia Motors’ co-chief executive, NAME, resigned earlier this month after taking responsibility for the recall of nearly 86,000 cars.

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Kia Vietnam dealer seeks information about recall

Photo: Photo courtesy of Kia Motors Corp

Truong Hai Auto Group, a Kia Motors dealer in Vietnam, is awaiting advice from the Korean company about recalling vehicles in the wake of the massive recall in the US by Kia to fix a technical problem.

The Hanoi-based dealer has asked if the 2010 Soul and Sorento models have the same electrical fault in interior lights that could cause fires as the 35,200 that have been recalled for fixing in the US.

Besides Truong Hai, many other Vietnamese dealers have also imported the two cars for sale in the country.

The head of the South Korea's second-largest automaker has resigned to take responsibility for the mass vehicle recalls of the four models including the SUV Borrego and the Cadenza sedan.

Chung Sung-Eun, who is also a vice chairman of the Hyundai-Kia Automotive Group, stepped down after Kia had to issue a global recall of 85,900 vehicles, AFP quoted spokesman Michael Choo as saying.

In China a Kia Motors joint venture, Dongfeng Yueda Kia Motor Co, on Monday separately recalled 18,147 Sorento, Borrego and Soul models.

Yonhap news agency reported that Chung was sacked by group chairman Chung Mong-Koo.

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Toyota recalls 1.13 million Corollas in North America

Photo: AFP

Japanese automaker Toyota has announced the recall of 1.13 million of its popular Corolla vehicles in North America due to an engine defect that could make the car stop while it is being driven.

Toyota, the world's largest car manufacturer, said Thursday the recall was issued for Corolla and Corolla Matrix vehicles built between 2005 and 2008 "to address some engine control modules (ECM) that may have been improperly manufactured."

The recall is a fresh blow to the automaker which recalled some 10 million vehicles across the world earlier this year due to a faulty acceleration system.

It said in a statement that there was a possibility that "a crack may develop at certain solder points or on the electronic component used to protect circuits against excessive voltage" on the ECM's circuit board.

The crack can result in the engine not starting or, in some cases, stopping while the vehicle is being driven, it said.

There were three "unconfirmed" accidents allegedly linked to this condition, one of which reported a minor injury, the statement said.

Steve St. Angelo, Toyota's chief quality officer for North America, said the recall was "an example of our commitment to standing by our products and being responsive to our customers."

The affected engine control modules will be replaced for free, beginning in September, the company said.

The recall followed an investigation opened in November by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) into reports of motor stalling in Toyota Corolla and Corolla Matrix vehicles manufactured between 2005 and 2007.

The NHTSA said it had received 163 complaints on the engine suddenly stalling without any warning.

Toyota has seen its reputation badly damaged after it recalled about 10 million vehicles worldwide because of dangerous defects, many involving "sticky" gas pedal problems that could cause vehicles to speed out of control.

The Japanese automaker paid a record US$16.4 million fine earlier this year to settle claims it hid gas pedal defects blamed for more than 50 US deaths and faces a host of civil lawsuits over issues with "unintended acceleration."

Toyota overtook General Motors in 2008 as the world's top automaker, but safety issues have raised questions about whether it sacrificed its legendary quality to become number one.

As recently as last month Toyota announced the recall of 270,000 vehicles worldwide because of an engine fault affecting its luxury Lexus range and Crown models and 373,000 Avalon sedans in the US due to a steering issue that could increase the risk of a crash.

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