SEOUL, March 2 - South KorFLANGEea's top automaker Hyundai Motor said Tuesday it is recalling more than 500 Tucson sport utility vehicles in the United States due to potentially defective airbags.
It was the firm's second such announcement in a week, after it said on February 24 it would recall 47,300 of its latest Sonata sedans in the US and the domestic market due to a possible door lock problem.
The firm said the latest action affects 515 "2010 Tucson" units made in South Korea and exported to the US from November 10-30, because their airbags may not work properly for a front-seat passenger.
Dealers will make the repairs free of charge," it said in a statement.
Hyundai said it sold 2,216 "2010 Tucson" models in the US in January.
The company's US auto sales rose 8.3 percent to 435,064 in 2009, giving it a market share there of 4.2 percent compared to 3 percent in 2008.
Recalls have become a sensitive issue after Japan's Toyota was forced to fix millions of vehicles worldwide.
Toyota president Akio Toyoda on Monday apologised to consumers in China - days after he said sorry to angry US lawmakers in Washington for faulty accelerator pedals blamed for more than 30 deaths.
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