Brake oil leaks plague Hyundai’s YF Sonata

Hyundai Motor is again suffering from leaks in its vehicles and the nation’s largest automaker could face a possible recall order for its YF Sonata from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.

According to the Transport Ministry and the Korea Transport Safety Authority, Hyundai’s popular midsize sedan was found to have leakage problems with its brake oil. The leakage apparently occurs from a brake hose that connects the ABS system to the brake master cylinder.

The ministry said that of the 6,607 YF Sonatas inspected from Oct. 25 to Nov. 25, 707 were found to have brake oil leaks.

The problem was discovered after the Korea Transport Safety Authority compiled inspection data of YF Sonata owners who bought their vehicles four years ago.

As a result, the ministry said that it is investigating whether to recall 80,641 YF Sonatas produced between Sept. 7, 2009, and May 8, 2010.

Hyundai said that free repairs have been offered to owners since last month, and YF Sonatas produced after May 9, 2010, don’t have the problem because it changed the design. However, the government is also considering investigating YF Sonatas produced after that date.

This is the third time Hyundai has come under fire for leakage problems this year, although none have prompted recalls.

In January, the automaker issued an apology after some Santa Fe DM owners complained about water leaks in the trunk and back seat. In response, Hyundai extended the warranty for that model to five years with unlimited mileage from three years, or 60,000 kilometers (37,282 miles).

In August, Hyundai and its affiliate Kia Motors faced problems with water leaks into the engine compartments of their compact sedan Avante MD and K3. Both automakers offered lifetime warranties to owners.

BY JOO KYUNG-DON [kjoo@joongang.co.kr ]