Hyundai has equipped some of its 2020-model-year vehicles with a system called “Remote Smart Parking Assist.” Without anyone in the car, the vehicle can park itself in a standard perpendicular parking spot. All it takes is for the driver to hold down a button on the key fob.
Unfortunately, a problem has been discovered with the software. This was found in February during what Hyundai calls “routine developmental testing.” The company did issue a software update to address the problem, but it did not recall any existing vehicles.
If there’s a fault, the car is supposed to stop
The issue is that the Remote Smart Parking Assist feature is supposed to have a fail-safe mechanism that stops the car from moving when it notices a fault or error. In some cases, this fail-safe might not engage even when an error has been detected, allowing the vehicle to continue moving despite an apparent malfunction.
In March, the company received a report about a vehicle that continued to move even when the Remote Start Parking Assist feature malfunctioned. That vehicle had the original version of the software.
Luckily, Hyundai is unaware of any actual crashes or injuries in the U.S. And, the fix is simply to have the software updated at a dealership.
The recall is supposed to begin on June 4. The following two vehicle types are affected:
- 2020 Hyundai Sonatas equipped with the Remote Smart Parking Assist feature, manufactured between Oct. 22, 2019 and March 20, 2020
- 2020 Hyundai Neo fuel cell SUVs that are equipped with the parking assist feature and were manufactured between Aug. 16, 2019 and Feb. 18, 2020
If you are not sure whether your car is affected by this recall, you can go to NHTSA’s online VIN lookup tool. Your VIN (vehicle identification number) can be found in a number of different places on your vehicle. For example, you will find it inside the driver’s door and at the base of the windshield on the driver’s side. Enter the 17-character number into NHTSA’s tool and it will tell you if your car is subject to any recalls and, if so, which ones.
To get the fix, call your Hyundai dealer or contact Hyundai at 855-371-9460. Hyundai’s own number for this recall is 191. NHTSA’s campaign number is 20V213.
If you or a loved one has been injured due to this problem or any fault with a motor vehicle, you should discuss the situation with an attorney experienced in auto products liability.
