Hyundai Motor Corp. (HYMLF), South Korea's largest automaker, is recalling more than 47,000 of its new Sonata sedans to replace front door latches that may not close properly in some instances.The voluntary recall affects about 46,000 Sonatas sold in South Korea through Dec. 6, and another 1,300 made and sold in the U.S. through Feb. 16, the company said.

Although tiny by comparison to Toyota Motor Corp.'s (TM) recall of more than 8.5 million vehicles over faulty floor mats, accelerators and brakes, the Hyundai recall comes at a time of greater public sensitivity about the subject.

''To avoid a possible occurrence of the problem, Hyundai has been applying modified parts to some of its Korean and U.S. production models,'' the company said in a statement. Hyundai said it plans to carry out the voluntary recall next month.