Hyundai

Hyundai is adding about 6,100 more Veloster hatchbacks to a recall for sunroofs that can shatter and rain glass onto the driver and passengers. In December, the automaker announced the recall of 13,500 of its Veloster coupes from the 2012 model year for the same problem. Hyundai says the panoramic sunroof assembly may have been weakened during installation at the factory. At least five people have suffered minor injuries when sunroofs in the Velosters shattered, though no crashes have resulted.

Parents aren't supposed to pick favorites, but it's clear Hyundai has a soft spot for its Santa Fe. To hear the Korean automaker tell it, the crossover played a key role in Hyundai's transformation from maker of meek little econoboxes with shoddy reliability to a brand that rivals the best from Honda and Toyota. The third generation of the Santa Fe, rolling into dealerships now, demonstrates how far the company has come. This handsomely redesigned crossover is packed with utility and comes in two sizes: a five-passenger version and a seven-passenger model.

CNN -- The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced Sunday that automaker Hyundai is recalling nearly 140,000 Sonata sedans. The recall affects certain 2011-model year Sonatas, which were manufactured from December 2009 to September 2010, NHTSA said. “On some of these vehicles the steering column intermediate shaft universal joint connections may have been either improperly assembled or insufficiently tightened,“ the agency said. As a consequence, drivers could experience a reduction or loss of steering capability.

The Hyundai Motor Co. and its affiliate Kia Motors Corp. are conducting a recall of more than 1.7 million vehicles - including the bestselling Elantra - to correct electronic defects. Hyundai said that one of the problems involved 1.1 million vehicles with brake light switches that may malfunction. The potential problem could also result in cruise control not disengaging and other potential risks that might increase the risk of a crash, the automaker said Wednesday on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration website.

Ambitious South Korean enterprises continue to make noise on the global economic stage. Electronics giant Samsung is giving Apple fits in markets across the globe with its hot-selling smartphones and tablets. Seoul-based Hyundai and Kia have been among the world's fastest-growing automakers in recent years. Portly singer Psy put South Korea on the pop culture map with his monster hit “Gangnam Style,” which has become the most popular video of all time on YouTube with nearly 1.3 billion views.

Hyundai is recalling 13,500 of its Veloster coupes because their big panoramic sunroofs can shatter and rain glass onto the driver and passengers. Shattering sunroofs also might be a problem in cars built by Kia, Hyundai's sister company. At least five people have suffered minor injuries when sunroofs in the 2012 model year Velosters shattered, though no crashes have resulted. Hyundai said Wednesday that the sunroof's assembly may have been weakened during installation at the factory.

Get ready for the battle of the crossovers. Hyundai unveiled a complete redesign of its Santa Fe sport-utility at the New York International Auto Show. The mid-sized crossover now follows the sleeker “fluidic sculpture” styling the brand has used to turn its Elantra and Sonata sedans into bestsellers. The South Korean automaker is growing the Santa Fe a bit.  One version will be longer. Hyundai will sell a three-row, seven-passenger model for the first time.  But the overall dimensions of the standard 2013 Santa Fe will be about the same as the previous generation, although Hyundai has taken about 100 lbs. out of the vehicle in a move that improves fuel economy.

Hyundai Motor Co., South Korea's largest automaker, is recalling Sonata sedans in the U.S. because the front passenger air bag may not deploy when the seat is occupied by a small adult. Some 2006 to 2008 models are affected, Hyundai said in a letter to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Hyundai expects only about 1% of those vehicles will need to have the seat sensor reprogrammed.

Hyundai let word slip on Monday of its plans for the 2013 Detroit Auto Show. The automaker revealed a sketch of a concept vehicle it's calling HCD-14. Shown only in a silhouetted profile, the drawing depicts a vehicle in the four-door coupe style currently en vogue with a variety of luxury marques. Though this exact concept isn't headed for production, official word from Hyundai is that the vehicle will "give the automotive world a glimpse into future Hyundai premium vehicle design.

Oles Gadacz recalls those embarrassing days a decade ago when Hyundai Motor Co. was ridiculed as the 95-pound weakling of the auto industry, a purveyor of cheap and poorly made compacts. At car shows, he got such little respect it felt like customers were kicking sand in his face. "People breezed by our booth without even breaking stride," said Gadacz, a Toronto native and the former public relations chief, who until his retirement last month served as the Western face for the automaker's insular chief executive.

When Hyundai Motor Co. and its affiliate, Kia Motors Corp., announced Wednesday that they were conducting a massive recall of 1.7 million vehicles, it was a sign of what can go wrong when parts are shared by many vehicle models. Since the recession, according to automotive industry analysts, more and more manufacturers have turned to the economies of scale involved in having fewer vehicle platforms and more interchangeable parts and components. "This is supposed to be the ideal for making cars now," said Jesse Toprak, analyst for TrueCar.com.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is investigating complaints that the rear suspension frames on some Hyundai Sonata mid-size cars can rust and fail. The probe affects about 393,000 cars from the 2006-through-2008 model years. The NHTSA said that rust in the frame can cause control arm failures. A car's wheel hubs are attached to the control arms. In documents on its website, the NHTSA said it had received six complaints of suspension failures. Three of the cases involved failures at highway speeds, but no crashes or injuries were reported.

You may not know that Hyundai sells a $60,000 full-size luxury car, but there are about 7,200 people who do. That's how many Equus sedans Hyundai has sold in the U.S. since it debuted in 2010. To put that into perspective, Lexus sold more of its full-size LS sedans in 2012 alone. Looking to juice its sales of the Equus, Hyundai on Wednesday announced a midlife refresh of the car at the 2013 New York Auto Show. Photos: 2014 Hyundai Equus debuts at New York Auto Show The biggest changes to the car are to the interior.

Hyundai Motor America is inching closer to a settlement of claims it inflated the fuel economy ratings of its vehicles. Details of the deal are still to be worked out, but the automaker is expected to reach a settlement in 38 lawsuits on the fuel economy mislabeling, which have been combined and are being heard in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles. Its corporate sister, Kia Motors America, is expected to also settle the litigation. Photos: Vehicles with overstated fuel economy claims In November, the South Korean automakers said they overstated the fuel economy on nearly 1 million late-model vehicles after the discrepancy was discovered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which monitors the fuel economy tests by automakers.

Hyundai is adding about 6,100 more Veloster hatchbacks to a recall for sunroofs that can shatter and rain glass onto the driver and passengers. In December, the automaker announced the recall of 13,500 of its Veloster coupes from the 2012 model year for the same problem. Hyundai says the panoramic sunroof assembly may have been weakened during installation at the factory. At least five people have suffered minor injuries when sunroofs in the Velosters shattered, though no crashes have resulted.

Ambitious South Korean enterprises continue to make noise on the global economic stage. Electronics giant Samsung is giving Apple fits in markets across the globe with its hot-selling smartphones and tablets. Seoul-based Hyundai and Kia have been among the world's fastest-growing automakers in recent years. Portly singer Psy put South Korea on the pop culture map with his monster hit “Gangnam Style,” which has become the most popular video of all time on YouTube with nearly 1.3 billion views.

Hyundai Motor Corp. says it will display a gas-electric hybrid version of its Sonata sedan at the Los Angeles Auto Show in November. The auto maker says it will announce at the show the date that the hybrid will be sold in the U.S. John Krafcik, vice-president for product development at Hyundai, says the hybrid Sonata can be powered by both gas and electric motors and will have new lithium-ion batteries.

Hyundai introduced the 2013 three-row Santa Fe crossover utility vehicle at the L.A. Auto Show Wednesday along with the Veloster C3 Roll Top, a California-themed concept car. The new six/seven-passenger Santa Fe will join Hyundai's two-row Santa Fe Sport, which went on sale in August. The newly announced Santa Fe is 8.5 inches longer and is also slightly taller and wider than the Santa Fe Sport. The three-row Santa Fe offers 1.9-inches of additional leg room for the vehicle's second row of seats -- which are available in captain's chairs if desired.

The chart emailed from Hyundai Motor America on Wednesday morning seemed to have good news for the beleaguered South Korean car manufacturer whose claims on fuel efficiency for some vehicles were exposed as false. A chart that allegedly contained Consumer Reports data showed that Hyundai's revised fuel efficiency claims were more in line with EPA combined fuel estimates than all but three of the 15 auto companies listed. "We at Hyundai believe that Consumer Reports real-world average fuel economy testing results and EPA combined fuel economy results should correlate, and in fact do correlate nicely for some brands," Hyundai Motor America said in a statement.

DETROIT -- It's named like R2-D2's cousin, uses rear-hinged doors like a Rolls Royce and touts a cabin that needs only gestures to turn on the air conditioning. But look past all the gimmickry on the Hyundai HCD-14 Genesis concept and you'll see elements of reality that are headed to the company's next vehicle. Hyundai used its news conference Monday afternoon at the North American International Auto Show to unveil the four-door coupe concept, which it says teases the next chapter in the company's aesthetic.