NHTSA Complaint #11705871 — 2022 HYUNDAI ELANTRA

I am reporting a safety-related defect involving the vehicle’s infotainment and forward safety systems. When this occurs, the vehicle also shows a “Check Forward Safety System” warning message. Diagnostic trouble code C162078 is triggered, indicating a front radar out of alignment. As a result, critical safety features such as Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist, Smart Cruise Control, and other radar-based driver assistance systems are disabled. This issue creates a significant safety risk because the driver is not alerted to potential forward collisions and cannot rely on active safety systems. The blank infotainment screen also prevents access to vehicle settings, warnings, and camera functions. In South Korea, this same defect has resulted in an official recall and free front radar replacement and calibration. However, in the United States, customers are not covered under a recall and are required to pay out of pocket for radar realignment or replacement, even though the issue is identical and a lot of time the issue came back 3 months later and customer have to pay out of pocket once again to fix the same issue. Many owners report receiving official recall notices in other markets, while U.S. owners must independently diagnose the issue. Dealers often state that the problem may be caused by radar misalignment after a software update or system fault. In some cases, cleaning or recalibration temporarily resolves the issue, but in other cases, full radar replacement is required. This inconsistent treatment places U.S. consumers at a financial disadvantage and allows a known safety defect to remain unresolved. I am requesting that NHTSA investigate this defect and require the manufacturer to issue a U.S. recall with free repair, calibration, or replacement, consistent with actions already taken in other countries.