Hyundai is recalling more than 280,000 sedans due to a faulty seat belt pretensioner that, under certain conditions, can explode, sending metal pieces into the vehicle cabin.
The South Korean automaker said the action covers some 2019-2022 Accents, 2021-2023 Elantras and 2021-2022 Elantra hybrids. Three people have reported injuries.
According to reports, during a crash the front driver or passenger seat belt pretensions have exploded when deployed during the collision. As a result, pieces of metal have been ejected into the vehicle’s cabin. The cause of the explosion hasn’t been determined, but Hyundai is investigating the issue.
Dealers will secure the seat belt pretensioner(s) with a cap, free of charge, according to NHTSA, while owner notification letters are expected to be mailed July 15.
Ongoing issue
The new recall supersedes four previous actions for the same problem. Regulators noted that all of the vehicles previously repaired will need to undergo the new fix. The new recalled added 239,000 more vehicles to the action.
Last September, NHTSA told Hyundai of a crash incident involving a 2021 Elantra, where the driver-side seat belt pretensioner allegedly deployed abnormally, causing metal fragments to injure an occupant’s leg. The agency had asked Hyundai to assess the incident, according to Reuters.
Hyundai’s continued to investigate the problem, NHTSA documents reveal, without any success as to the cause of the explosions.
Hey Boss, I have an idea to tighten the seat belt in an accident.
How’s it work?
We explode this charge to move a piston real fast to take up slack in the belt.
And negatives?
Naw.
Go for it.
Funny thing is, pyrotechnic seatbelt systems have been in use for 30 years and have been credited with being highly effective.