Hyundai Recalls Tuscon Models to Fix Hood Latches

By Chris Chase

Jun 3, 2016

Summary

Poorly-designed secondary hood catches could fail

Hyundai has recalled more than 18,000 examples of its recently-redesigned 2016 Tucson compact crossover to replace faulty secondary hood latches.

Transport Canada places the blame on a "build-up" of tolerance in the secondary catch mechanism, more commonly known as that handle you have to feel around for under the leading edge of the hood after you've pulled the release lever inside the car. That secondary catch is aptly named, as it's there to "catch" the hood if the primary latch fails while the car is being driven.

Should the main latch fail while the car is at speed and the secondary catch is faulty, the hood could fly open, with predictable results: a big shock for the driver, a sudden loss of visibility and the very real possibility of a crash. Hyundai says its dealers will replace the secondary hood catch with a revised part. The manufacturer also says the Tucson displays a warning in the instrument cluster when the primary hood latch is disengaged, and in Limited and Ultimate trims, that visual warning is accompanied by an audible one.

Meet the Author

As a child, Chris spent most of his time playing with toy cars in his parents’ basement or making car sounds while riding his bicycle. Now he's an award-winning Algonquin College Journalism grad who has been playing with real cars that make their own noises since the early 2000s.