Hyundai Lawsuit Says ‘Defective’ Direct Driver Monitoring System Routinely Causes False Alerts

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A proposed class action lawsuit alleges that the Direct Driver Monitoring System (DDMS) in-cabin camera found in certain Hyundai vehicle models is defective in that it will routinely misread a driver’s eyes and head position, causing false, repeated and distracting warnings, sudden braking, and the loss of cruise control and other features. 

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The 70-page lawsuit states that the affected vehicle models include the 2024-2026 Hyundai Santa Fe, 2025-2026 Ioniq 5, 2025-2026 Tucson, 2025-2026 Santa Cruz and 2026 Palisade. Per the case, the DDMS is part of the vehicles’ Forward Attention Warning (FAW) system, a safety feature designed to alert the driver when they are exhibiting distracted-driving behaviors, and utilizes an in-cabin infrared camera mounted on the vehicle’s steering wheel column, facing the driver. When properly functioning, the case says, the DDMS camera watches a driver’s eyes, face and head position in real time so as to monitor whether the driver looks away from the road for too long. 

The Hyundai lawsuit says that although the FAW and DDMS are meant to make the affected vehicle models safer, the apparent defect plaguing the in-cabin infrared camera prompts false audible and visual warnings and sudden braking so frequently that “they make the vehicle unsafe and make focusing on the road more challenging”—the opposite of what the system was designed to do. 

Per the suit, the DDMS will, for instance, incorrectly report distracted driving if the driver is wearing sunglasses, prescription eyeglasses or a hat. The same will occur should sun glare enter the vehicle or the driver make slight head movements, sit lower or higher in the seat due to height, position their hands differently on the steering wheel or squint their eyes, the case says. 

The Hyundai driver monitoring system defect triggers unnecessary warnings so repeatedly that it is “impossible to drive the Class Vehicles without warnings going off,” which in some instances can happen “every couple of minutes while driving,” the complaint emphasizes. 

According to the class action lawsuit, defendants Hyundai Motor America and Hyundai Motor Company have known of the Direct Driver Monitoring System defect—as apparently evidenced by a January 2025 technical service bulletin issued to service centers—yet have offered no fix for the problem. 

“…Hyundai’s solution was that drivers need to wear different sunglasses or glasses, adjust their seats, and ‘look at the road,’” the filing states. 

The case goes on to state that Hyundai effectively admits in the owner’s manual for the vehicle models at issue that the DDMS and FAW are defective and do not function properly under normal, routine driving conditions. According to the filing, the automaker has listed more than a dozen conditions under which the safety features may operate incorrectly or unexpectedly, including: 

• If the driver is wearing heavy makeup or has an eye piercing;
• If the driver’s view is blocked by a hat;
• If outside light, sunlight or the infrared LED light of the camera is reflected by glasses or sunglasses;
• If the driver shakes their head up and down;
• If adverse road conditions cause excessive vibrations during driving;
• If the driver is too tall or too short; and
• If the driver’s eyes are narrowed due to laughing or sun glare.

Consumers would not have bought or leased an affected Hyundai model, or would have paid less for one, had they known the cars came with an “undisclosed and significant safety defect,” the suit contends. 

The Hyundai class action lawsuit looks to cover all current and former owners and lessees of any of the above-listed vehicle models bought or leased in the United States or any of its territories or possessions. 

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