Defective Air Bags

[Anchor Lead]

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport has reported Hyundai Motor to the prosecution for not taking proper corrective measures even when the carmaker was aware of defective air bags in the Santa Fe model. We’ll follow up in this next report.

[Pkg]

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport has pointed out problems with 2,360 Santa Fe SUVs produced by Hyundai Motor in June 2015. The Ministry had discovered that the passenger side air bag may not be properly deployed in a collision. At the time Hyundai Motor had identified the problem and fixed most of the vehicles in question before they were shipped out. The Ministry claims, however, that the automaker had failed to take prompt measures on the 66 vehicles that had already been sold. The Ministry also argued that Hyundai Motor did not report the defect to the government even though it knew about it. The ministry reported Hyundai Motor President Lee Won-hee to the prosecution for allegedly violating the Automobile Management Act. The enforcement decree of the Automobile Management Act stipulates that when a car manufacturer becomes aware of a defect, it should design a plan of corrective measures and notify vehicle owners. Hyundai Motor claims that it took independent measures on the 66 Santa Fes that were sold before the defect was discovered. The automaker also explained that the manager in charge failed to notify the Ministry in time. The Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office will review the allegation and investigate the case by questioning people associated with the matter.