Hyundai recalls nearly 600K vehicles for two problems

June 10 (UPI) -- Hyundai has announced two recalls affecting nearly 600,000 cars in the United States for hood latch and parking brake problems.

The bigger recall is 437,400 Santa Fe and Santa Fe Sport SUVs from 2013 to 2017.

In a letter to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration dated June 7, the South Korean automaker said a secondary hood latch may corrode and bind, causing it to remain in the unlatched position when the hood is closed. If this happens and the primary latch is inadvertently released, the hood could unexpectedly open while driving, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash, the company said.

No accidents or injuries have been related to this issue.

This problem occurs more frequently in northeastern United States, where salt is applied to the roads during winter, according to Auto News.

The second recall affects 161,074 Genesis and Sonata models from 2015 and 2016, according to a letter to the NHTSA, also dated June 7. In the problem, a parking brake light might not work because of corrosion to a switch.

Symptoms of the problem include acceleration, parking brake noise and "drag" and smoke and/or smell from driving with the applied parking brake, according to the safety recall report.

Hyundai will notify owners of the problems and the dealer will replace the items starting June 30.

Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 855-671-3059 for either recall.