Transport Canada announces that Hyundai Auto Canada has pleaded guilty to criminal charges

OTTAWA — Transport Canada released a statement, stating that they ‘expect automobile manufacturers and importers to uphold their responsibilities under the Motor Vehicle Safety Act,’ with regards to Hyundai Auto Canada’s criminal charges of failing to send out notices of safety defect within 60 days.

On Apr. 18, the Minister of Transport, the Honourable Omar Alghabra, announced that Hyundai Auto Canada Corp. pleaded guilty to six different counts of criminal charges of violating the Motor Vehicle Safety Act.

The six guilty pleas were all for failing to send out notices of safety defect within 60 days. The company will also pay a fine of $360,000 for these charges.

The safety defects in question are related to six recalls issued by Hyundai in 2020 and 2021. These defects were serious in nature.

While Hyundai eventually notified owners, they did not do so within prescribed timelines, necessitating the criminal charges filed against the company.

With Hyundai’s guilty plea and fine, Transport Canada now considers this matter resolved.

The department will continue to closely monitor Hyundai’s compliance with Transport Canada’s requirements.

Transport Canada encourages all vehicle owners to have safety defects corrected as soon as possible. Vehicle safety recalls are available on Transport Canada’s Motor Vehicle Safety Recalls Database.

“Canadians have a right to obtain timely information about safety issues impacting their vehicles. It is alarming that Hyundai failed to notify vehicle owners of a recall in a timely manner on six different occasions, which is why Transport Canada pursued criminal charges against the company. We expect all vehicle manufacturers to abide by the law, and Transport Canada will not hesitate to act when safety has been compromised,” said Omar Alghabra, Minister of Transport.