Hyundai Recalls 239K Vehicles in Fourth Recall Due to Seat Belt Defect

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Update: 

• In a fourth recall for the same issue, on May 24, Hyundai recalled 239,000 2019-2022 Accents, 2021-2023 Elantras and 2021-2022 Elantra HEVs in the United States, according to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA).
• The seat belt pretensioners within the vehicles can explode and injure vehicle occupants, the recall notice states.
• Hyundai reported three injuries related to the defective parts: two in the United States and one in Singapore.
• The carmaker expects to notify owners of the recall by July 15, the NHTSA says.
• Consumers who previously brought their vehicles to the dealership for repair will once again need to visit a dealership for the free fix, according to the notice.
• On April 1, the date of the most recent recall, Hyundai recalled 6,240 of its 2021-2022 Elantra and 2020 Accent vehicles. 

2022 Hyundai Elantra and Elantra HEV Recall Overview:

• Who: Hyundai is recalling 140 of its 2022 Elantra and Elantra HEV vehicles.
• Why: The vehicles contain seat belt pretensioners that can explode in the case of a crash and that have already caused multiple injuries.
• Where: The recall is effective nationwide in the United States.

(March 16, 2022)

Hyundai is recalling 140 of its 2022 Elantra and Elantra HEV vehicles due to an exploding seat belt part that has caused multiple injuries.

In a recall notice posted by the National Highway Safety Transport Agency, Hyundai says that the front passenger side seat belt pretensioner may explode upon deployment in certain 2022 Elantra and Elantra HEV vehicles in a crash.

“An exploding seat belt pretensioner can project metal fragments into the vehicle, striking vehicle occupants and resulting in injury,” the notice says.

Hyundai Seat Belt Pretensioner Has Already Injured 3 People

Hyundai has already held two recalls for the same issue after two people were injured by faulty pretensioners, but 2022 Elantras were not included in either. However, on Feb. 15 a driver in Singapore had a crash in their 2022 Hyundai Electra and the seat belt pretensioner exploded, injuring a rear passenger and leading to the current recall.

According to Hyundai, the production lot of the pretensioner in the 2022 Hyundai Elantras is different from the lots targeted in Recall 211 and 219. Additionally, the pretensioners in the Hyundai Elantras are on the front right side of the vehicles while in previous recalls the issue has been on the front left side.

The seat belt pretensioner is one of the most important parts of a seat belt system as it locks the belt in place in the event of a crash. Hyundai says it is actively investigating the root cause of the issue with the pretensioner, and that the affected seat belt pretensioners were installed from a suspect production lot.

“At the time of this filing, the cause of the abnormal deployment is unknown,” the company says. “Hyundai is recalling vehicles equipped with pretensioners produced within the same production lot to conduct a detailed part return analysis. The part inspections and investigation will actively continue to determine if a specific root cause and defect trend exists.”

The company says it will notify owners of affected vehicles with instructions to bring their vehicles to a Hyundai dealer to have the seat belt pretensioner replaced.

“This remedy will be offered at no cost to owners for all affected vehicles, regardless of whether the affected vehicles are still covered under Hyundai’s New Vehicle Limited Warranty,” the company says.

“Additionally, Hyundai will provide owners of affected vehicles reimbursement for out-of-pocket expenses incurred to obtain a remedy for the recall condition.”

Hyundai says car owners will be notified starting May 2, 2022.

In February, Hyundai had to recall 357,830 of its 2016-2018 Santa Fe, 2017-2018 Santa Fe Sport, 2019 Santa Fe XL and 2014-2015 Tucson vehicles due to a risk of engine fires. The carmaker warned drivers to park their vehicles outside and away from structures as they can spontaneously catch fire even when off.  

Does this recall affect you? Let us know in the comments section below!

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