Is My Car Subject to a Seat Belt Recall?

A seat belt recall is a serious safety issue that has affected both domestic as well as imported vehicles, and their owners may not be aware of it. Major automakers in the U.S., Germany, Japan, and Korea have recalled millions of vehicles for seat belt defects over the past two years.

This is just the proverbial tip of the iceberg when it comes to vehicle safety defects. In 2018 alone, car makers issued over 900 recalls, affecting more than 29 million vehicles. In some cases, these defects pose a serious risk of injuries and death to drivers and occupants. The Takata airbag recall in millions of cars is a good example.

What U.S.-Made Vehicles Have Seat Belt Recalls?

On Aug. 14, 2019, Ford announced a seat belt recall for 2015 Fusion and Lincoln vehicles. The problem was a defect in the front seat belt assembly; a rise of temperature in the seat belt anchor could compromise the strength of the cable, making the belt ineffective in restraining the driver or front passenger in a collision. The recall affected over 113,000 vehicles in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico.

In November 2019, General Motors Corporation recalled 640,000 2019 and 2020 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra pickups for a defect with their high-tech seat belt mechanism that caused the carpeting to catch fire. At that time, GM reported two fires but no injuries.

What Imports Have Been Affected by a Seat Belt Recall?

U.S. cars are not alone. Last November, Mercedes-Benz USA issued a recall for nearly 30,000 2018-19 models due to a glitch that causes an alarm indicating that a properly fastened seatbelt is not secured. The fear is that the defect could potentially affect other vehicle safety systems, causing them to malfunction in case of a collision or car accident.

A news source in the U.K. reported last year that approximately 76,500 late model Volkswagens had been recalled for a defect that could cause a rear seat belt to come unlatched during a sudden turn. The defect was first identified by a leading technology journal in Finland in May 2018. However, Volkswagen made the decision to continue selling the defective vehicles, putting a jury-rigged “repair” in place in the form of a plastic cable tie. Many of these defective vehicles made their way on to the used car market and were not fixed.

In August of 2019, Kia recalled 30,000 of its Telluride SUV crossovers. The affected vehicles contained seat belt assemblies without automatic locking retractors, which were intended for the Middle East market. According to Kia, these seat belt assemblies “may have been inadvertently installed” in U.S. vehicles.

Looking forward, Automotive Fleet reported a seat belt recall for nearly 9,500 new Toyota Corollas and C-HRs for rear seat belt assemblies with a defective webbing sensor that could prevent the locking mechanism from operating properly. While the issue was reported late in December 2019, the recall will take effect on February 3rd, 2020.

What Can I Do if My Vehicle is Affected?

If your vehicle has been subject to a seat belt recall, your first course of action should be to contact the dealer or the manufacturer. You can find out if your vehicle has been recalled by visiting the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration website and entering the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN).

Join a Free Vehicle Safety Class Action Lawsuit Investigation

If you own a vehicle that you believe has a safety defect and you are outside of the warranty period or you believe the defect should be covered by the warranty and it’s not, or you or a family member have been injured by a safety related defect, you may qualify to join this vehicle safety defect class action lawsuit investigation.

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This article is not legal advice. It is presented
for informational purposes only.