Hyundai recalling nearly 400,000 Sonatas to check seat sensor

Front seat cushions are under a lot of pressure these days. It is a strenuous job, as they are tasked with determining how heavy the derrière sitting on them actually is. According to Hyundai, passenger seat sensors in the cushions of some 2006-2008 Hyundai Sonatas may not be up to the task of distinguishing between a child and an adult, so they are sending out recall notices to 394,000 Sonata owners. Weight sensors in the passenger seats of most late-model vehicles are designed to disable the passenger-side airbag when a child is riding up front. However, Hyundai told the NHTSA that an error with some of its sensors may keep the passenger airbags off when small adults are occupying the seats, as well.

Notified Sonata owners are being asked to check whether or not the airbag is activated when the seat is occupied by an adult. If their vehicle is among the estimated 1 percent of vehicles that have "confused" airbag sensors, the seat cushions will be removed and sent to the West Coast for reprogramming. Owners will receive a rental car while their cushions are in California getting reprogrammed -- and some R&R, of course.

[Source: Automotive News, sub. req'd]