FOUNTAIN VALLEY, Calif. -

Hyundai is recalling a multitude of Elantra models for two separate issues related to sensors for air bag deployment in the vehicle’s front seats.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s website, the recall includes 188,697 Elantra units from 2007 through to 2009 to fix an air bag condition on the passenger side.

Meanwhile, Hyundai is recalling 95,783 Elantra units from model years 2007 through 2008 to reprogram the air bag control module for the driver’s side frontal air bag.

This second group of vehicles is a subset of the first group, explained Hyundai spokesperson Jim Trainor.

"No other countries are affected by this action," Trainor noted. "One territory, however, is and that’s Puerto Rico."

Explaining the driver’s side recall, NHTSA noted: “The driver’s seat track position sensor determines the seat’s fore and aft position and allows the driver’s frontal air bag to deploy at the pressure appropriate for that seating position, with a lower pressure deployment in the most forward seating positions.

“The air bag control module may receive an unstable electrical signal from the seat track position senor such that in a crash that requires driver frontal air bag deployment, the driver’s air bag may deploy at the higher pressure than intended if the seat was position(ed) in one of the forward positions in which a lower pressure deployment is intended,” it added.

NHTSA emphasized that if an air bag is deployed at a higher pressure than intended, the chance of injury can go up. This recall is expected to begin next month. Affected owners can take their vehicles to a Hyundai dealership to have the air bag control module reprogrammed.

As far as the issue related to the passenger side air bag, the administration revealed: “The front passenger seats in the vehicles contain a weight sensor designed to deactivate the right frontal air bag when occupants of certain weights occupy the seat.

“The electrical connector for the weight sensor is located under the center console, between the front seats,” NHTSA continued. “Under certain circumstances, the connector could become contaminated and malfunction, such that the front passenger airbag will deploy regardless of the weight of the occupant.”

And when a front passenger airbag deploys where it should not given the weight of the occupant, the chance for injury, again, can go up, NHTSA stressed.

To fix the situation, Hyundai dealers are putting in protective covers over the weight classification system connector. This move is designed to keep contamination from occurring and will be done for free. This particular recall is also expected to start next month.