U.S. Investigates Failing Air Bags in Hyundai, Kia Cars

By Mike Spector

U.S. safety regulators are investigating Hyundai Motor Co. and Kia Motors Corp. cars with air bags that failed to deploy, a problem linked to four deaths and six injuries.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened an investigation of roughly 425,000 vehicles covering 2011 Hyundai Sonata midsize cars and 2012-2013 Kia Forte compact cars, the agency said in documents posted on its website over the weekend.

The deaths and injuries occurred in six front-end crashes spanning six years that resulted in significant damage to the South Korean manufacturers' vehicles. Four crashes involved the Sonata cars, and the rest involved the Forte vehicles.

The failures stem from an electrical problem in air-bag control systems supplied by ZF-TRW, regulators said. ZF Friedrichshafen AG, a German automotive parts maker, purchased Michigan supplier TRW Automotive Holdings Corp. in 2015. Kia said the issue cropped up in a common TRW air-bag control unit chip.

Hyundai said it was cooperating with the government's investigation. The auto maker is investigating what causes circuit damage to the air-bag control system, which led it to recall relevant Sonata cars earlier this year. A ZF spokesman had no immediate comment. Hyundai shares slid nearly 4% in South Korea on Monday while Kia's stock fell roughly 3.5%.

Kia said it would cooperate with regulators to monitor vehicles and potentially conduct additional crash tests, though it hasn't confirmed any incidents of air bags failing to deploy arising from the issue under investigation.

"Kia has carefully monitored the quality and safety performance of the 2012-2013 Kia Forte...and has additionally shared such relevant information it has developed with both TRW and NHTSA," the company said, adding it would conduct a safety recall if it deems one appropriate.

In tracing the cause of the failures, regulators cited Hyundai's decision in February to recall roughly 155,000 2011 Sonata cars with similar problems. Hyundai doesn't yet have a fix for those vehicles, which it expects to recall starting April 20.

Investigators plan to scrutinize the scope of that recall and whether any other auto makers are affected. Regulators said they also plan to confirm their understanding that Kia vehicles use the same air-bag control system as those in Hyundai's recall.

Regulators also pointed to a 2016 recall of more than 1.4 million Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV vehicles for similar problems with air bags failing in significant frontal crashes.

Air bags, long cited as significant safeguards in vehicle crashes, have shown problems in recent years, leading to various recalls.

The most significant involves tens of millions of Takata Corp. air bags that risk exploding and spraying shrapnel, a defect linked to 22 deaths, more than 180 injuries and the largest automotive recall in U.S. history. A Senate panel will question automotive executives on that recall Tuesday.

Write to Mike Spector at mike.spector@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

March 19, 2018 11:50 ET (15:50 GMT)

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