2011 Sonatas recalled for faulty door locks

[grrl]

So, obviously, Toyota isn't the only company that can screw up.

Personally, I think lock problem is a clever way of keeping you in the car so you don't realize how boring and derivative the new styling is.

Photo gallery and article at the link:

http://www.autoblog.com/2010/02/23/breaking-hyundai-issues-stop-sale-on-2011-sonata-over-possible

Hyundai issues stop-sale on 2011 Sonata over possible door latch malfunction
by Chris Paukert (RSS feed) on Feb 23rd 2010 at 6:58PM

With the first units of its 2011 Sonata sedan having just begun hitting dealers, Hyundai is in the unfortunate position of having to issue a stop-sale on its most hotly anticipated new model in some time. According to Hyundai, an estimated 5,000 Sonatas may have a defective front door latch that could require replacement:

The [Sonata's] front doors incorporate a convenience feature that allows a locked door to be unlocked and opened by pulling the inside door release handle without first unlocking the door with the inside door lock switch. If a front inside door lock switch is held in the locked position while the inside door handle is pulled to open the door, the door latch may malfunction. If this occurs, the inside door handle will not return to its normal, stowed position and the door latch will remain in the unlatched position when attempting to close the door.

Because the two rear doors do not incorporate the automatic unlock pull-handle-to-open convenience feature, they are not affected by this issue, but both driver and passenger front door mechanisms could be in need of repair. Spokesperson Miles Johnson tells Autoblog that Hyundai will be working with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to recall vehicles that are already in customer hands (roughly 1,300 units have been sold since the first examples hit dealerships over the past couple of weeks), and the company will begin shipping replacement latches to its 790 dealers tomorrow in order to fix both customer and dealer stock Sonatas as soon as possible. Once the new latches are installed (a process that Johnson says takes about an hour per vehicle), the stop-sale will be ended.

Johnson also acknowledged that Hyundai is keenly aware that the eyes of the media, public and Capitol Hill are on Toyota and NHTSA at this time, and the company hopes to effect a swift and complete fix for this door latch issue on a model range that is expected to remain the company's volume leader.

 

[Zenmervolt]

If a front inside door lock switch is held in the locked position while the inside door handle is pulled to open the door, the door latch may malfunction. If this occurs, the inside door handle will not return to its normal, stowed position and the door latch will remain in the unlatched position when attempting to close the door.

So, if you're a complete moron who is physically holding the lock switch down while forcing the handle open, you can damage the lock and make the door fail to latch?

If that's a shocker to anyone, they need to learn some basic mechanical sensitivity. What's next? Recalling a car because if you kick it really hard you can leave a dent?

ZV

 

[grrl]

So, if you're a complete moron who is physically holding the lock switch down while forcing the handle open, you can damage the lock and make the door fail to latch?

If that's a shocker to anyone, they need to learn some basic mechanical sensitivity. What's next? Recalling a car because if you kick it really hard you can leave a dent?

ZV

But as I suspect you know, the problem is lots of people don't have mechanical sensitivity (just like too many lack basic driving skills). It seems to me Hyundai just needs to make the linkage a bit more durable.

 

[Zenmervolt]

But as I suspect you know, the problem is lots of people don't have mechanical sensitivity (just like too many lack basic driving skills). It seems to me Hyundai just needs to make the linkage a bit more durable.

I'll agree that it sounds like a weak point in the design, but I can count on 0 fingers the number of times I've ever performed the actions necessary to cause the issue in my entire lifetime of driving.

Recalls are for safety items, not parts that may break under abusive and uncommon treatment. At most this sounds like something that should be a TSB but that is now a recall because of the current witch-hunt conditions.

ZV

 

[grrl]

Recalls are for safety items, not parts that may break under abusive and uncommon treatment. At most this sounds like something that should be a TSB but that is now a recall because of the current witch-hunt conditions.

ZV

I don't know how likely this is to happen either, but you can imagine the hysteria that could be whipped up by some idiot 'getting locked in their car' after breaking the lock. Hyundai is certainly just playing it safe in light of Toyota's current problems. Creating a recall may seem excessive, but it makes them look forthright.

 

[StageLeft]

It should be fixed but ZV is right some people are just fvcking stupid. I administer software and have become numb to some people's stupidity. Literally on a weekly basis I receive a complaint from a user on how to access a site despite the error message in plain english telling them what to do and every time I email back the same thing and it works.

 

[LTC8K6]

It's failing in the unlatched mode? So the door may just come open while driving if you don't notice?

 

[PricklyPete]

I'll agree that it sounds like a weak point in the design, but I can count on 0 fingers the number of times I've ever performed the actions necessary to cause the issue in my entire lifetime of driving.

Recalls are for safety items, not parts that may break under abusive and uncommon treatment. At most this sounds like something that should be a TSB but that is now a recall because of the current witch-hunt conditions.

ZV

I couldn't agree more. This is actually starting to irritate me.

 

[MotF Bane]

So, if you're a complete moron who is physically holding the lock switch down while forcing the handle open, you can damage the lock and make the door fail to latch?

If that's a shocker to anyone, they need to learn some basic mechanical sensitivity. What's next? Recalling a car because if you kick it really hard you can leave a dent?

ZV

This.

 

[Imported]

Its been a while, but it sounds like something I did in my old old Civic that had no power anything.. made it easy so I didn't have to physically lock it with the key once outside the car. Never had issues either.

 

[c3p0]

So, if you're a complete moron who is physically holding the lock switch down while forcing the handle open, you can damage the lock and make the door fail to latch?

If that's a shocker to anyone, they need to learn some basic mechanical sensitivity. What's next? Recalling a car because if you kick it really hard you can leave a dent?

ZV

ZV, you obviously don't have young children. They can do all sorts of strange things to your car when you are not looking. But I don't think that classifies them as "complete morons", do you?

c3p0

 

[StageLeft]

ZV, you obviously don't have young children. They can do all sorts of strange things to your car when you are not looking. But I don't think that classifies them as "complete morons", do you?

c3p0

Because the two rear doors do not incorporate the automatic unlock pull-handle-to-open convenience feature, they are not affected by this issue

Kids shouldn't be in the front.

 

[ElFenix]

i guess the concern is that someone could close the door and drive off without realizing it's not latched? though i'm sure there's a light and a chime or something if you try to do that.

 

[KIAman]

I think it's about time to have real driver's education and driver's test to determine license eligibility.

Can you believe how easy it is for people to get permission to lug around a 2 ton death machine?

 

[StageLeft]

I think it's about time to have real driver's education and driver's test to determine license eligibility.

Can you believe how easy it is for people to get permission to lug around a 2 ton death machine?

Think bigger, need to license having children.

 

[Zenmervolt]

ZV, you obviously don't have young children. They can do all sorts of strange things to your car when you are not looking. But I don't think that classifies them as "complete morons", do you?

c3p0

On an absolute scale, young children aren't very bright, there's no getting around that. Doesn't mean it's their fault or anything, but objectively speaking they do lack a fully-developed intellect.

Kids break stuff. Always have, always will. Should computers be recalled because a kid might stuff a piece of toast into the CD-ROM drive and break it? How about recalling watches because kids can grab at the watch bands and rip the watch off their parent's arm? Or how about we recall windows because kids might hit a baseball through them?

The point is that recalls are for safety issues that result from defective parts and can appear even if the product is used under normal conditions. Forcing the latch lever open while holding the lock lever down isn't normal. I still hold that this is akin to issuing a recall because the doors get dented if you kick them hard.

ZV

 

[marvdmartian]

I'll agree that it sounds like a weak point in the design, but I can count on 0 fingers the number of times I've ever performed the actions necessary to cause the issue in my entire lifetime of driving.

Recalls are for safety items, not parts that may break under abusive and uncommon treatment. At most this sounds like something that should be a TSB but that is now a recall because of the current witch-hunt conditions.

ZV

Seeing as the door locks on my '09 Sonata lock once I put it into any gear outside of park, you could assume they do that for safety. Therefore, a problem with doors not locking could be considered a safety issue, thus the recall.

Seeing as they've only sold ~1300 of this model year in the USA, I'd say they caught it pretty quickly. Glad that they're taking care of it, I'll give them the benefit of the doubt that they'd have done it even without Toyota being in the spotlight right now.

 

[Zenmervolt]

Seeing as the door locks on my '09 Sonata lock once I put it into any gear outside of park, you could assume they do that for safety. Therefore, a problem with doors not locking could be considered a safety issue, thus the recall.

Seeing as they've only sold ~1300 of this model year in the USA, I'd say they caught it pretty quickly. Glad that they're taking care of it, I'll give them the benefit of the doubt that they'd have done it even without Toyota being in the spotlight right now.

If the door fails to latch (not lock, if you break it the door doesn't latch at all, much less lock) that's because the user broke it not because there's a design defect. Recalls are for parts that will fail under normal use, not parts that only fail under abnormal abuse. If failures from abnormal abuse were legitimate reasons for recalls, then every car in America should be recalled because the brakes will fail if you smear grease all over the rotors.

ZV

 

[LTC8K6]

I don't think it's breaking, but just getting stuck in the unlatched position.

Are they talking about holding the electric switch, or holding the manual lock knob?

 

[LTC8K6]

Looks like you could just be leaning against the knob and create the problem fairly easily.

 

[Zenmervolt]

Looks like you could just be leaning against the knob and create the problem fairly easily.

I assumed they were talking about holding the physical knob/lever. I've never known anyone to do that unless they were deliberately trying to though.

I admit that it's a design weak point, but a full-blown recall seems a bit over-the-top.

ZV

 

[FeuerFrei]

Guess the time is ripe for unloading any potential recalls. No one will notice because Toyota's locked in the press spotlight.