Hyundai Genesis Owners Face Another Tire Replacement
Hankook tire has had a difficult ride on the 2015 Hyundai Genesis sedan. Back in April of 2015, Hyundai issued a Technical Service Bulletin offering replacement tires to owners of the Genesis sedan equipped with Hankook brand tires with Continental (19-inch size) and Michelin (18-inch size) tires to eliminate a vibration and road noise issues. Those car owners who didn’t get their Hankooks replaced now face a tire recall for risk of cracking.
With the original TSB action, the replacement Michelin 18-inch tires came with a lower speed rating than the original Hankook tires. This required a software update to change the speed governor. Dealers were directed to perform this customer satisfaction campaign at the request of the customer.
We pursued the tire replacement program and had our Hyundai dealer replace the Hankook Ventus S1 noble 2 tires on our 2015 Genesis Sedan test car with the 18-inch Michelins. After the tire swap, we noticed some improvement in handling, offset by slightly longer wet stops.
Genesis Sedan owners who still have the original Hankook tires may find them to be a subject of a recall now due to cracking in the sidewall, which could lead to air loss. In October 2015, Hankook started a quality investigation of sidewall cracking, prompting them to recall 46,968 tires.
Owners will be notified by January 31, 2016. The model is the Ventus S1 noble 2 and covers tires in 245/45R18 96W manufactured May 20, 2013, to February 14, 2015, and 245/40R19 94W and 275/35R19 96W tires manufactured between May 22, 2013, to February 14, 2015. Tires were supplied to Hyundai for the 2015 Genesis and sold as replacement tires. Other sizes of the Ventus S1 noble 2 are not affected, including the 225/40R18 size we tested; it performed well and is a recommended tire.
The Hankook Ventus S1 noble 2 tires being recalled in these three sizes have a date code found in the last four digits of the DOT number (located on the lower sidewall on the tire) beginning with 2013 through 0715. These numbers refer to the week (20th) and year (2013) of manufacture. See how to read a tire in the tire buying guide for more information.
Hankook will notify purchasers of replacement tires, and owners of the Hyundai vehicles will be notified by Hyundai.
Owners can contact Hankook at 1-800-426-5665 and may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 or go to www.safercar.gov.
Look up recalls on your vehicle at ConsumerReports.org/carrecalls.
More from Consumer Reports:
5 least reliable cars from Consumer Reports' survey
How to buy long-lasting tires
Best cars for making it to 200,000 miles
Consumer Reports has no relationship with any advertisers on this website. Copyright © 2006-2016 Consumers Union of U.S.
