Abraham Jewett  |  June 8, 2022

Category: Auto News

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Woman sitting in driver seat of a Hyundai vehicle.
(Photo Credit: Juan mendez/Pexels.com)

Hyundai exploding seatbelts class action lawsuit overview: 

  • Who: Kris Jarrell filed a class action lawsuit against Hyundai Motor America Corp. 
  • Why: Jarrell claims Hyundai waited to recall vehicles it knew or should have known contained defective seat belt components prone to exploding. 
  • Where: The class action lawsuit was filed in Florida federal court. 

Hyundai knowingly sold vehicles containing seat belt components that risked the safety of drivers and passengers, a new class action lawsuit alleges.

Plaintiff Kris Jarrell claims Hyundai issued a safety recall in May for around 239,000 of its vehicles over concerns they were equipped with seat belt pretensioners that could explode. 

Jarrell argues Hyundai knew about the defect — which can allegedly lead to metal fragments being projected throughout the vehicle — since September 2021, well before issuing last month’s recall. 

“Despite having knowledge of the exploding seat belt pretensioners, Hyundai concealed this information, delayed issuing a recall, and still to this day has not sent notification letters to owners of the defective vehicles,” the Hyundai class action states. 

Jarrell wants to represent a nationwide class and Florida subclass of consumers who purchased or leased a model year 2019-2022 Hyundai Accent, 2021-2023 Hyundai Elantra, or 2021-2022 Hyundai Elantra Hybrid vehicle. 

Hyundai ‘should have known’ about exploding seat belt defect

Jarrell argues Hyundai should have known about the defect before it was brought to its attention by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in September 2021 after it investigated an incident involving a 2021 Hyundai Elantra. 

“Defendants knew or should have known of the Seat Belt Defect much earlier due to pre-production testing, failure mode analysis, and reports to authorized dealers, repair centers, and complaints to the NHTSA,” the Hyundai class action states. 

Jarrell claims Hyundai is guilty of negligent misrepresentation, fraudulent concealment or omission, and unjust enrichment, among other things, and is in violation of the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act and Florida’s Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act.

Plaintiff is demanding a jury trial and requesting declaratory relief along with actual, compensatory, general, special, incidental, statutory, punitive and consequential damages for herself and all class members. 

This is not the first time Hyundai has faced a lawsuit over allegedly defective parts.

A class action lawsuit was filed against Hyundai in April over claims the auto manufacturer sold numerous vehicles containing defective engines that use an excessive amount of oil and ultimately break.

Have you purchased or leased a Hyundai vehicle included in its seat belt recall? Let us know in the comments. 

The plaintiff is represented by Scott P. Schlesinger, Jonathan R. Gdanski, Jeffrey L. Haberman and Sarah J. Schultz of Schlesinger Law Offices PA. 

The Hyundai exploding seatbelts class action lawsuit is Jarrell v. Hyundai Motor America Corp., et al., Case No. 6:22-cv-00990, in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida.


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24 thoughts onHyundai class action alleges seat belts pose dangerous explosion risk

  1. Ashanti Brown says:

    Add me! I bought a 2018 Hyundai Accent no recalls,6 months after purchase it caught fire. I almost lost my family and Ive lost wages.

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