Even though the Hyundai Sonata is currently dealing with a large recall with nearly 140,000 units involved, it is still going up the hill by earning various awards. The latest which is also a very important one is the Top Safety Rating by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) passing all the tests with flying colors.

Sonata was not only built to withstand accidents, it was designed to help drivers avoid them all together. The Sonata’s state-of-the-art braking system exemplifies its suite of active safety technologies. The package includes four-wheel disc brakes and an Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS) including Brake Assist, which provides maximum braking force when a panic stop is detected, and Electronic Brake-force Distribution (EBD) to automatically adjust the braking force to front and rear axles based on the vehicle loading conditions.

“The Sonata nameplate has historically raised the bar for safety in the mid-size sedan category, dating back to the introduction of standard Electronic Stability Control on the 2006 Sonata,” said John Krafcik, president and CEO, Hyundai Motor America. “The 2011 Sonata furthers our commitment to safety with a suite of equipment and third-party test results that are unsurpassed in the category.”

NHTSA’s upgraded ratings system will now evaluate side pole crash testing and crash prevention-technologies. And, for the first time, it will use female crash test dummies to simulate crash scenarios involving women, not just men. Sonata comes standard with six airbags; including dual front, front seat-mounted side-impact, and front and rear side curtain airbags;along with active front-seat head restraints.