Hyundai Accent, Elantra Recall for Exploding Seat Belt Pretensioners

Hyundai Accent, Elantra Recall for Potential Exploding Seat Belt Pretensioners

Hyundai is recalling 239,000 cars in the United States following an investigation into reports that three people were injured when the mechanism in the seat belt pretensioners for their Hyundai Accent and Hyundai Elantra cars suddenly exploded.

These pretensioners are designed to tighten the belts if a car suddenly brakes or crashes.

An investigation into the explosions determined that certain model years for these vehicles had a design flaw that apparently causes the gas generator mechanism in the seat belt pretensioners to explode. It affects only certain model years for these vehicles, as well as the hybrid version of the Elantra. The defect does not appear to occur in other models of the Korean automaker’s vehicles, Hyundai says.

In the United States, two people suffered injuries – one in a Hyundai Accent and the other in a Hyundai Elantra. The third person was riding in a Hyundai Elantra located in Singapore.

Federal government regulators say the driver’s and front passenger’s seat belt pretensioners exploded upon deployment. Also, these explosions reportedly sent shrapnel throughout the vehicle.

Hyundai Recalls

This recall also expands and replaces three previous recalls for the automaker’s 2019-2022 Accents, 2021-2023 Elantras and 2021-2022 Elantra HEVs, or hybrid electric vehicles. Those vehicles were repaired under previous recalls. However, owners need to take them back to the dealerships for new repairs. Specifically, the dealerships will fit the seat belt pretensioners with a cap at no cost.

Also, the explosive seat belt parts brings to mind the ongoing Takata airbag recalls. However, this pretensioner case stems from the design of the hardware and its failure. Specifically, there appear to be microfractures in the delivery pipe which secures the gas generator to the pretensioner mechanism.

Hyundai to Notify Owners

Hyundai is scheduled to notify owners by July 15, 2022, according to reports by the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration.

Contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460 and reference recall number 229 or call the NHTSA vehicle safety hotline at 1-888-327-4236 or go to www.nhtsa.gov.

Finally, the issue appears to be isolated to the Hyundai Accent and Elantra models. This is based on the way their crash structures behave in a collision.

California Lemon Law Attorney James Johnson

Did you purchase a Hyundai Accent, Elantra or hybrid Elantra with a major safety issue? If so, you may need help. Also, vehicles in the shop for 30 days or more may have a cause for legal action.

California Lemon Law Attorney James Johnson will review your case and let you know if it qualifies as a lemon.

Also, we recommend that you obtain an invoice for all repairs and recall visits from the dealership. These documents will support your potential case. Should the vehicle experience repeated issues or become a safety risk, these documents support the Lemon Law Claim. Contact us for a free case review at (888) 957-7062.