2006 Hyundai Tucson Recalls
- Testing revealed faults in air bag deployment in the 2006 Tucson, which could seriously injure drivers.Fstop/Photodisc/Getty Images
The Tucson is a midsize sport utility vehicle (SUV) designed by Hyundai to appeal to the under-$20,000 SUV market. Some of the 2006 model year's features and components developed problems after the vehicles had already been shipped and sold. When these defects resulted in a manufacturer recall, they were added to lists compiled by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), which documents recalled parts and components. - Two recalls addressed safety of the air bags in the 2006 Tucson. In a small number of vehicles, testing indicated that air bags may not deploy during a collision, which could result in the death or severe injury of drivers not wearing seat belts. In 128,300 cars, testing revealed additional air bag dangers to drivers of smaller stature, who the tests determined would not receive adequate protection from the vehicle's driver-side air bags.
- Some Tucsons also suffered from a malfunction in the brake lighting system. Due to a malfunctioning stop lamp switch, the vehicle's brake lights may fail to illuminate when the driver brakes and/or stay on after the driver releases the brake. Brake light malfunction constitutes a significant enough defect to cause rear-end collisions.
- Defects in the stop lamp switch may also cause faults in the vehicle's brake transmission shift interlock feature. If this fault were to occur, the vehicle's transmission would become locked in the park position. The brake pedal may also fail to deactivate cruise control, and the light indicating an active electronic stability control may also fail to turn off.
