As far as automotive recalls go, this one doesn't have quite the same potential for epic disaster as others. There's no call for owners to park outside lest a fire should erupt. There isn't a dire warning to immediately step away from the vehicle. There's not even a concern of something happening while driving. However, some 2022 Hyundai Santa Fe owners could climb behind the wheel only to see their world turn upside down. Sort of, anyway.
The world won't actually turn upside down, but gauges and information on the Santa Fe's digital instrument cluster just might. Hyundai says 714 vehicles – 293 hybrid and 421 plug-in hybrid models from the 2022 model year – are potentially affected by this strangest of glitches. There have been no reports of accidents or injuries resulting from this problem, though Hyundai does point out an increased risk of an accident resulting from an illegible instrument panel. Also, it doesn't meet Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 101 regarding speedometers, because it's a tad difficult to read numbers upside down.
According to Hyundai, the problem stems from an improper resistor installed into the cluster, and apparently, it's triggered in "extremely low temperatures." We aren't electricians so we offer no interpretation as to why cold resistors project a digital screen rotated 180 degrees. Hyundai also says it won't happen while the vehicle is on or moving, so there shouldn't be concern about drivers looking down to suddenly find goofy readouts where legible gauges should be.
The fix is straightforward. Hyundai will replace the LCD screens in affected vehicles free of charge. Santa Fe models built between October 25, 2021, and December 1, 2021, are the subject of the recall; customer notifications will begin by February 25 though we suspect if it happens to you, you'll certainly know it.
