2011 Hyundai Sonata on 2040-cars

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Hyundai, Kia, Genesis and Subaru clean up in IIHS 2018 safety ratings

Hyundai, its partner Kia and its Genesis division are the big winners in the latest vehicle safety ratings from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, accounting for six of the 15 models that earned the Top Safety Pick+ awards for 2018. Subaru was right behind with four, Mercedes-Benz had two, and Toyota, BMW and Ford each had one. Another 47 vehicles earned the Top Safety Pick designation, where Toyota had 10 vehicle models, with Hyundai recognized for nine models. All but one of the seven vehicles in Subaru's lineup, the BRZ, qualified for one of the awards. IIHS strengthened the criteria for the Top Safety Pick+ award for 2018 to require headlights to earn a "good" rating — an "acceptable" rating was previously enough to notch the "plus" award — and good or acceptable passenger-side protection in the small overlap front crash, which replicates a crash involving just the front corner of a vehicle. It also required vehicles to have acceptable or good headlights for the first time to earn a Top Safety Pick award. Most of winners for both awards qualified on the basis of optional upgrades. IIHS in October began evaluating the passenger side of vehicles in its small overlap front crash test after it said it became clear that automakers were neglecting that side of the vehicle as they focused on improving driver-side protections. IIHS first began conducting driver-side small overlap crashes in 2012. It began measuring both how well low and high beams illuminated the road and the amount of glare they produce for oncoming vehicles as part of its ratings in 2016. The Top Safety Pick+ winners are listed below. The list doesn't include any minivans, pickups or minicars, which don't appear on either list of awardees. Small cars Kia Forte Kia Soul Subaru Impreza (sedan and wagon) Subaru WRX Midsize cars Subaru Legacy Subaru Outback Toyota Camry Large luxury cars BMW 5 series Genesis G80 Genesis G90 Lincoln Continental Mercedes-Benz E-Class sedan Midsize SUVs Hyundai Santa Fe Hyundai Santa Fe Sport Midsize luxury SUV Mercedes-Benz GLC The full list of Top Safety Pick winners is available here.Related Video: Image Credit: IIHS BMW Genesis Hyundai Kia Lincoln Subaru Toyota Safety Crossover SUV Wagon Sedan crash test

2015 Hyundai Sonata already recalled for bad wiring harnesses

It's barely arrived in dealerships, and already, Hyundai is recalling its 2015 Sonata. A total of 2,138 vehicles are facing issues with a wiring harness that could limit the amount of power steering help and in some cases, making it difficult to shift out of Park. Most of the cars are not yet in customer hands.
This is a followup action to a very quiet stop-sale that was issued to dealers in early June, which originally included a recall of 1,790 vehicles across the continental US and 58 vehicles in Puerto Rico. That figure eventually grew to a total of 2,080 vehicles in the US and 58 in the Caribbean territory.
Only the 2.4-liter, naturally aspirated model is affected, and of the 2,100-plus sedans, only 12 of them are in the hands of customers, according Hyundai spokesman Jim Trainor. Each customer has been notified and asked to report in for free repairs. As of this writing, there are no reports of injuries or crashes due to the issue.

Hyundai's second Super Bowl ad is a Nice piece of work

Yesterday, Hyundai unveiled its Dad's Sixth Sense Super Bowl ad, which showed off the 2015 Genesis Sedan and its auto emergency braking system. While a fine spot, it lacked the pizzaz we expect of a commercial for the big game. Hyundai's second half-minute commercial, however, is more of what we expect of a Super Bowl ad.
Starring The Big Bang Theory's Johnny Galecki and with a cameo from comedian Richard Lewis, the commercial sees Galecki trying to woo a woman he comes across at a stop light by complimenting her on her Elantra, which just so happens to be what he's driving. Things go hilariously awry from there.
Scroll down for a full look at the video, and let us know how you think it stacks up next to yesterday's Dad's video.