Hyundai recalls 215,000 Sonatas for fuel line fire hazard
Hyundai informed NHTSA earlier this month that it has initiated a recall of 215,171 Sonatas from the 2013 and 2014 model years to address fuel lines used in its 2.0- and 2.4-liter engines that may crack and leak gasoline due to heat-related fatigue. For some owners this will be déjà vu, as a campaign was launched in 2020 to address the exact same problem.
According to Hyundai, the issue arises from engine bay heat slowly causing the deterioration of the low-pressure fuel lines that run between the primary fuel pump and the high-pressure direct-injection pump that delivers fuel to the cylinders. This fatigue can cause the lines to crack, which allows fuel to leak into the cabin. If it comes into contact with a sufficiently hot surface, a fire can result. Hyundai says it has no reports of this occurring in the wild.
The campaign covers 2013-2014 Sonatas. While the recall population is rather large, Hyundai estimates that only approximately 1% of vehicles covered by the campaign will exhibit a problem. That’s at least partially due to the fact that the 2013 model year was included in the 2020 campaign, however the previous fix does not appear to have done the job in all cases.
“Based on warranty records, the subject population includes certain 2013-2014 model year Sonata vehicles involved in Hyundai Recall 189, that after inspection, did not receive a replacement fuel tube as a remedy and vehicles that have not had the recall remedy completed yet,” Hyundai said in its defect notice.
“If the inspection revealed fuel feed line damage and/or fuel leakage, the fuel tube was replaced. If the fuel feed line did not show signs of damage and/or fuel leak, heat resistant tape was applied at the connection between the low pressure fuel tube and fuel pump. A fuel leak was detected in a limited number of vehicles that received heat resistant tape as the remedy under [the previous recall campaign].”
This time around, every vehicle should get the replacement tube, which should settle the issue for good. Owners can expect to be notified by July if their cars are covered by the campaign.
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