A ‘tiny’ Mistake Just Forced 143,000 Hyundai Suvs Back To Dealers

Hyundai’s new Santa Fe may look ready for adventure with its chunky styling and outdoorsy vibe, but more than 143,000 of them are headed back to the dealer for something far more mundane. Forget boulders or river crossings, these SUVs are being tripped up by the humble reversing camera.

The issue affects 2024 and 2025 Santa Fe and Santa Fe Hybrid models in the US. According to documents filed with the safety regulator, the problem crops up when the driver selects reverse, the rear camera decides to take a break exactly when you need it.

The feed may fail entirely, which leaves drivers staring at a blank screen instead of whatever hazards are lurking behind them.

Related: A Crash Test Sparked A Recall Of Over 135,000 Hyundai SUVs

Hyundai traced the problem to an incorrectly assembled wiring harness, the fault of an Alabama-based supplier, rather than the automaker itself. The sloppy build process can cause increased tension and wear in the cable’s shield line, resulting in poor terminal contact when hooked up to the camera, the NHTSA says.

It’s just the latest in a string of rearview visibility problems sweeping the industry. Almost every brand seems to have suffered from camera glitches necessitating a recall in the past few years, and since the equipment became compulsory in the US, that’s a lot of potentially faulty camera systems.

Hyundai’s fix involves replacing the problematic wiring harness with a new one that’s more flexible – and which has already been fitted to new Santa Fe models since September.

Owners can expect a letter in the mail with instructions on how to get the repair done for free at a dealer. Until then, Santa Fe drivers may want to rely on those old school methods known as looking in the mirror and turning your head. It’s retro, but it works.

Hyundai also recently dropped a second recall worth mentioning, though this one involves far fewer cars. It covers 258 vehicles at risk from a curtain-airbag defect, the affected models including the Santa Cruz truck, Santa Fe, Tucson, and sister brand Genesis’s GV70.