In the United States, Hyundai is recalling 239,000 vehicles because the seat belt pretensioners may detonate, causing the passengers inside the vehicles to sustain injuries. There have been reports of three injuries, two of which occurred in the United States and one in Singapore.
The Korean automaker received a notice from government regulators stating that the driver’s and front passenger’s seat belt pretensioners have the potential to burst upon deployment, scattering shrapnel all over the interior of the vehicle. The seatbelts are pulled tighter by the pretensioners in case of an accident.
The recall covers 2019-2022 Accents, 2021-2023 Elantras, and 2021-2022 Elantra HEVs, which are Hyundai’s abbreviation for hybrid electric vehicles. This recall extends on and supersedes three earlier recalls. In order to receive the updated fix, automobiles that have already been recalled and repaired must be returned to their respective dealerships.
Owners of recalled vehicles will be able to take their vehicles to dealerships to have the seat belt pretensioners fitted with a cap at no additional cost to the owners. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Hyundai is anticipated to notify owners by July 15 at the latest.
How to fix ‘Exploding Seat Belts’ problem?
To fix this problem, a special cap needs to be put over the seat belt pretensioner’s micro gas generator and delivery pipe. This will keep metal pieces from hurting people inside the car. Any inspections and repairs that are needed will be done for free for owners of affected vehicles, including those that were part of the previous recalls. New models will have different pretensioner assemblies that have been redesigned.
About 166,000 of the 239,000 cars being called back are Elantra sedans that only run on gas, 12,000 are Elantra hybrids, and 61,000 are Accent economy cars.
On July 15, Hyundai will send a letter to the owners of the recalled cars. Owners who are worried can call Hyundai’s customer service at 855-371-9460 and say “Recall 229.”
Hyundai’s Safety Recall Report
Here is the link to the Safety Recall Report (PDF) from Hyundai Motor America Submitted on 19th May, 2022.
