Hyundai and Kia recall more than 500,000 vehicles due to brake light defect

Two Korean car manufacturers Hyundai and Kia announced a recall of more than half a million small cars in the US because the brake lights may not turn off when the driver releases the brake pedal.

The recall includes more than 390,000 Hyundai Elantra vehicles from the 2013 and 2014 model years, along with 134,000 Kia Forte vehicles from the 2012 through 2014 model years.

The fault given by the manufacturer is that the brake lights will sometimes not turn off even when the driver has taken his foot off the brake.

Government documents reveal that the defect involves a polymer gasket between the brake pedal and the brake light switch that may fail, causing the light switch to stay on even when the brake pedal is in its original position. This defect allows the vehicle to leave a parking space without having to apply the brake pedal.

More than 500,000 Hyundai and Kia vehicles have brake light defects.

Although there have been no reports of accidents caused by the defect, the two manufacturers have decided to recall the vehicles. To fix the problem, owners will need to take their vehicles to their dealerships to have the faulty part replaced. Kia will begin recalling the Forte on January 30, while Hyundai will begin recalling the Forte on February 8.

This year does not seem to be a good one for these two companies. According to the report on car sales in the US since the beginning of the year, both Hyundai and Kia have decreased by 14.7% and 7.9% respectively.

Now, they need to pay close attention to their upcoming cars and handle the issues as best they can if they don't want to lose the favor of their American customers.

According to TPO