Toyota announced a recall of approximately 65,000 brand-new Sequoia and Tundra vehicles this week, while Hyundai separately announced the recall of roughly 43,900 Santa Fe vehicles — almost 110,000 trucks in all.
The issues with the vehicles vary: “Improperly fastened bolts” in model year 2017 Tundras may heighten the risk of injury during crashes. In 2018 Sequoias and Tundras, a diagnostic function may inappropriately turn off the Vehicle Stability Control system, which could increase the likelihood of crashes. Toyota listed additional information about the recall in a safety notice posted to its site on February 20.
“For all involved vehicles, Toyota dealers will update the software in an electronic control unit at no cost to customers. All known owners will receive a notification by first-class mail starting in the middle of March,” the company said.
Meanwhile, Hyundai Santa Fe trucks are at risk for the steering wheel breaking away from the steering column, according to the Associated Press. The car manufacturers will notify owners of the vehicles next month, the AP reported. But concerned car owners should be able to visit the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Safer Car website for further details shortly. As of this writing, there is no information on either recall listed on the federal website, and Hyundai has not posted any information to its website yet.
For any additional questions about the Toyota recall, customer support is also available by calling 800-331-4331. Hyundai owners can look up recalls on the company’s service center by entering their VIN, or contact customer care by emailing consumeraffairs@hmausa.com or calling 800-633-5151.
Mere days ago, Hyundai unveiled the 2019 Santa Fe, bringing a distinctive new look to the front end and announcing a a new eight-seat SUV that will surpass the Santa Fe/Santa Fe XL in size.
The massive truck recall is the latest in a recent binge of auto recalls. BMW announced the recall of nearly 12,000 cars after the company “discovered that the wrong programming had been installed.” In late January, Volkswagen recalled more than half a million vehicles in the U.S. due to defects that could result in fires or airbag malfunctions. And Takata, manufacturer of faulty airbags found in a dozen or more makes of car, recently expanded its recall to 3.3 million vehicles.
