MANILA, Philippines - Owners of Santa Fe and Sonata vehicles in the Philippines need not worry as these are free from airbag defects, Hyundai Asia Resources, Inc. (HARI) said yesterday amid a recall of the vehicles in the US.
“Santa Fe units sold by HARI are not affected by this recall and are limited to the US market only,” HARI said in a text message.
Santa Fe vehicles sold in the Philippines, HARI said, are imported from South Korea while those sold in the US are assembled in that country.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said earlier this week that Hyundai Motor Co. is recalling 199,118 units of Sante Fe from the 2007 through the 2009 models in the US citing that the front passenger airbag may fail to deploy in a crash.
Apart from the Santa Fe, Hyundai is also recalling 22,512 units of Sonata 2012 to 2013 models in the US.
The Sonata vehicles are being recalled as the side airbag may inflate even if there is no collision.
“Sonata units sold by HARI are not affected by the recall,” HARI said.
Repairs of the vehicles will be free of charge.
HARI president and CEO Ma. Fe Perez-Agudo said earlier they are aiming to make Hyundai the top automotive brand in the Philippines within 10 years.
Sales of HARI went up 23 percent to 12,751 units in the first semester compared to the 10,355 units in the same period last year.
For the month of June alone, HARI sold 2,356 units, up by 2.7 percent from the 2,293 units sold in the same month last year.
HARI has said it has an optimistic outlook on sales for the rest of the year as demand for cars remains strong on the back of favorable economic conditions.