Published : Oct. 10, 2016 - 09:56
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THE INVESTOR]
Hyundai Motor will come under a criminal probe following charges filed by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.
The ministry reported the carmaker to the prosecution on Oct. 5, alleging that it failed to follow protocol when a serious fault was found in the air bag system in the Santa Fe SUV.
The Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office plans to assign the case on Oct. 10, and begin a criminal investigation.
According to the ministry, the air bag sensor on the passenger seat of 2,360 Santa Fe SUVs produced in June 2015 did not operate as required. However, the company did not follow protocol and failed to report the issue to the ministry.
The Motor Vehicle Management Act states that any safety-related faults must be reported to the Transport Ministry within 30 days. Hyundai Motor, however, reported the issue on Sept. 29.
Of the affected vehicles, 66 units were sold before the issue was addressed. Hyundai Motor said that 62 units were tracked down and repairs were made within 30 days of sale, but four units were only repaired recently.
By Choi He-suk (
cheesuk@heraldcorp.com)