Hyundai has announced a safety recall affecting 154,753 examples of the 2011 Sonata sedan over airbag deployment issues separate to the global Takata recall. According to documents published by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, select 2011 Sonatas may suffer from airbag control units that could short-circuit. If this happens in the event of a crash, it could result in the front and side airbags failing to deploy and prevent the seatbelt pretensioners from activating, which obviously increases the risk of injury.

Cars affected in the recall are early production model-year examples of the sixth-generation Hyundai Sonata built between December 11, 2009 and September 29, 2010. Only one percent of models are estimated to have the defect. Hyundai says it is aware of four incidents where the airbag failed to deploy in a 2011 Hyundai Sonata during a crash, but it isn't clear if the occupants suffered any injuries. A fix for the recall is currently still under development. However, the NHTSA document says that the recall program for the 2011 Sonata is expected to start on April 20, 2018. Affected owners will be notified once a fix has been developed and asked to bring their vehicles to their local dealer for a free inspection and fix.

Owners can contact Hyundai customer service at 855-371-9460 using reference recall number 174. In contrast, the current Sonata is renowned for being one of the safest cars on the road. The 2018 model was awarded a Top Safety Pick+ rating by the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety thanks to its array of driver assists that help prevent accidents and a reinforced structure that helped the sedan withstand crash testing.