Hyundai recalling some 393,714 Sonatas

Hyundai Motor Co. said today it was recalling 393,714 Sonata passenger cars in the United States to fix a problem with the air bag system in the front passenger seat.

The automaker said the recall affects 2006-2008 Sonata vehicles equipped with an advanced air bag system. The system disables the front passenger seat’s front air bag when it detects the presence of a child restraint system or a small child in the seat.

The right front air bag is disabled to prevent injuries to a child that could result from the air bag inflating during a crash.

Hyundai said it received some complaints that the system was misclassifying a small adult as a child and shutting off the passenger air bag. The automaker said the misclassification would prevent the air bag from inflating in a crash, potentially leading to an injury to the passenger.