Hyundai Motor North America announced it will recall more than 42,000 vehicles due to a wiring problem that could cause the cars to roll away, according to a notice from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) on Wednesday.
The 2025 Hyundai Santa Cruz and Hyundai Tucson vehicles affected by the recall have transmissions that can shift out of “park” without having to press the brake pedal, increasing the risk of a crash or injury, the administration said . All 2025 Santa Cruz and Tucson vehicles in the U.S. are included in the recall, including more than 35,500 Tucson and 6,900 Santa Cruz vehicles – NHTSA estimates about 1% of vehicles have the defect.
The Santa Cruz is a hybrid pickup and SUV with a retail price starting at over $33,000, while the Tucson is an SUV that sells for over $28,000.
The Tucson also comes in a hybrid and plug-in hybrid variant, but those models will be available later this fall. It’s not clear how this recall will affect these upcoming arrivals.
The NHTSA said owners of the vehicles can continue driving them for the time being.
“Owners are advised to use the parking brake when parking the vehicle,” the NHTSA said. “Dealers will reroute the console expansion wiring free of charge.”
Letters are expected to be sent to the owners of the vehicles in question by January 19, 2025.
The problem with the Tucson vehicles was first discovered in late October when Hyundai Motor North America’s North American Safety Office (NASO) received a report alleging that a 2025 model was part of a corporate fleet in the US that was itself moved. In early November, it was discovered that the wiring problem that caused the problem with the Tucson vehicle may also be affecting the Santa Cruz vehicles. This led to a review by the North America Safety Decision Authority on November 13 and a recall of the vehicles.
Hyundai said it has received no reports of injuries, deaths, accidents or fires related to vehicles already sold.
This isn’t Hyundai’s only current recall.
2025 Hyundai Tucson
According to the NHTSA, the company also recalled more than 145,000 Genesis and IONIQ electric vehicles, including the IONIQ 6 from 2023 to 2025 and the Genesis GV60 from 2023 to 2025. The recall occurred because the integrated charge control units (ICCU) of the vehicles may be damaged and the batteries may no longer be able to charge.
“Dealers will inspect and replace the ICCU and fuse as necessary,” the NHTSA said. “In addition, dealers will update the ICCU software. All repairs will be carried out free of charge.”
Owners of the affected IONIQ and Genesis vehicles will receive a letter on January 17, 2025.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
