Hyundai says brake lights out not a safety issue

According to a story at News Limited AU, the brake lights on thousands of new Hyundais have been found to be faulty and owners are risking $200 fines – but the company is refusing to issue a recall because it says it’s not a safety hazard as the brakes still work.

A statement from Hyundai spokesman Bill Thomas said:

“I can acknowledge that we have experienced instances where the electrical switch on limited numbers of some Hyundai models has lost electrical contact”.

“This switch can serve various purposes including ESP and cruise control circuit recognition, engine starting for the smart key system, as well as operating the brake lights. Customers have thus reported various issues with this switch but in all cases the brakes themselves functioned normally.”

Hyundai is waiting for customers to notice the fault – which shows up as a stability control warning light and could also lead to cruise control failure. Hyundai would not reveal how many warranty repairs have been carried out so far on the brake light switch but says they are ongoing.

The Australian Automobile Association, which represents 7 million motorists, says a safety recall should be issued.

“Common sense tells you it’s a safety issue,” the executive director of the AAA, Andrew McKellar, told News Limited.

“We would be concerned if any manufacturer was seeking to circumvent the recall process. A fault like that could clearly compromise the safety of other road users.”