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Hyundai recalls some 2011 Sonatas: Airbags might not deploy

Hyundai is recalling certain 2011 model-year Sonata midsize sedans, saying the airbags may not inflate in a crash. Hyundai says in a government filing that the airbag control unit may short circuit in a crash and prevent the front and side airbags from inflating and the seatbelts from tightening. The automaker says it is aware of four incidents in which owners of the 2011 Sonata reported airbag failure during a crash. Only 1 percent of models are estimated to be defective. The recall affects 154,753 Sonata models built between Dec. 11, 2009, and Sept. 29, 2010, at Hyundai's Alabama assembly plant. It starts April 20. Hyundai says the remedy for the recall is still being developed. This recall is not related to the massive global Takata recall. Separately, Hyundai this week issued a recall for nearly 44,000 Santa Fe and Santa Fe Sport SUVs, both from 2018, following reports of the steering wheel detaching from the steering column. In that recall, dealers will replace the steering wheel assembly, if necessary. Affected owners are to be notified starting March 16. Related Video: Image Credit: Hyundai Recalls Hyundai Auto Repair Safety Sedan airbag hyundai santa fe hyundai santa fe sport

2019 Hyundai Nexo Quick Spin Review | A better hydrogen fuel cell crossover

PYEONGCHANG, S. Korea — When we travelled to South Korea to test out the new Hyundai Santa Fe, we also got a chance behind the wheel of the new hydrogen-powered Nexo fuel-cell SUV. Hyundai unveiled the Nexo at CES in January as a replacement for the Tucson Fuel Cell, which logged miles and gathered data in 18 countries over the course of its generation. The Nexo is an improvement: It's more efficient, packed with smarter driver assistance technologies and, in our opinion, is more attractive. With a clean an uncluttered exterior, it has a familiar crossover profile, but the front end, is a little more unique with a large grille and uber-thin lighting tucked high under the front of the hood. The rear end offers a lot of blank sheet metal, which looks fetching in white. Aerodynamic vents behind the rear quarter windows open up at the back of the car beneath a sporty-looking spoiler. But it's the clean, sustainable future that its hydrogen fuel may provide that's most important. Which is not to diminish the benefits battery electric cars offer in the interim — and likely for the foreseeable future — but renewable electricity is intermittent. So how does one store massive amounts of clean electricity for long periods to use when it's not readily available? Hydrogen electrolysis – using an electric current to decompose regular water into oxygen and hydrogen. The beautiful thing about the abundant element is that it can be converted back to electricity, either on a grid-scale, or in the fuel cell of a passenger vehicle. (The less beautiful thing is how to store hydrogen safely, but that's another story.) Our first stint inside the vehicle took place in the back seat, where we had plenty of legroom and clean surroundings. The interior was white and grey with matte silver metallic trim. The plastics in the Nexo aren't particularly soft, but somehow Hyundai makes them look premium with fine grains and patterns — one of the tricks Hyundai uses to make its affordable cars feel like higher-end automobiles. We were comfortable back there, especially with rear seat heaters to ward of the winter chill in the Korean mountains as we drove past the Winter Olympics in PyeongChang. When it came our turn to get behind the wheel, we felt right at home in the comfortable driver's seat. The steering wheel was attractive in its two-tone leather, and smooth to the touch.

Hyundai CVVD engine brings another dimension to valve timing

A new technology from Hyundai Motor Group places another marker on the march to more efficient internal combustion engines. Called Continuously Variable Valve Duration, the innovation permits two options for how long the intake valves remain open during the combustion cycle. The feature adds a third take on valve chicanery, atop variable valve timing that changes when valves open, and variable valve lift that changes how far valves open. Hyundai says the feature returns a 4% improvement in performance, a 5% increase in fuel economy, and lowers emissions by 12%. Hyundai applied for two patents on the valvetrain process in South Korea in 2011 and again in 2015. The altered valve duration in this latest iteration is made possible by two movable arms inside the camshaft. Each arm is anchored at its base to a pin at the center of the camshaft, while the end of each arm extends toward the edge of the camshaft. Changing the position of the pin in the center of the camshaft changes the angle of the arms relative to one another, which moves the camshaft along its mounting rod. Voila, a new intake cam profile that either lengthens or shortens valve overlap.   During low-speed spells at low load, CVVD opens the intake valve from the middle to the end of compression stroke. The weaker detonation isn't a factor at low load, and the reduced friction during compression improves fuel economy. During heavy engine loads, the intake valve closes at the beginning of the compression stroke to maximize the amount of air mixed for detonation, boosting torque. Four additional features enhance the benefits of CVVD. A more powerful direct injection system increases fuel spray pressure from 250 bar to 350 bar. Hyundai doesn't go into details on its Integrated Thermal Management System, but says the ITMS "quickly heats or cools the engine to the optimal temperature." Low-friction components lower overall engine friction by 34 percent. And a low-pressure exhaust gas recirculation layout diverts low-pressure exhaust gas from the traditional EGR route to the turbocharger compressor under high load for better fuel efficiency.   The first engine to boast the new tech is the Smartstream G1.6 T-GDi four-cylinder, which produces 180 horsepower and 195 pound-feet of torque. It will appear in the 2020 Hyundai Sonata Turbo going on sale in South Korea later this year.