Hyundai America has recalled almost a quarter-million cars due to potentially exploding seatbelts parts that could cause a risk to passengers and drivers. In a statement, the company said that it is recalling almost 239,000 vehicles due to seat belt pretensioners “that could pose an explosion risk after complaints of three injuries.”
Furthermore, in a notice posted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, U.S. regulators warned of abnormal deployment of the component. “This could cause metal fragments to disburse throughout the vehicle, resulting in injuries,” the notice read. As per media reports, two injuries have happened in the U.S. and one in Singapore.
What is Pretensioner?
The pretensioner is attached to a standard seatbelt and deploys in the event of a collision or under hard braking to restrict the movement of the passenger.
The Recalled Cars
The affected vehicles include:
- 61,000 Hyundai Accents (2019-2022)
- 166,000 Hyundai Elantras (2021-2023)
- 12,000 Hyundai Elantra HEVs (2021-2022)
According to National Highway Transportation Safety Administration, U.S., the owners will take their cars to nearby dealerships where the pretensioners will be fitted with a cap without any cost. Anyone impacted by the recall can call Hyundai by mid-July 2022.
Statement by Hyundai Pakistan
PakWheels.com has contacted Hyundai Pakistan for the comment but didn’t receive any. We will add the company’s response once we get one.
Furthermore, there are no reports of this issue in Pakistan as yet. No incidents of exploding of seatbelt component have been reports so far. We hope that the situation remains the same and Hyundai owners, especially Elantra’s, remain safe. And possible reason for that is Pakistan has older 6th generation and the issue of pretensioners was not reported in it. It is pertinent to mention that global market has 7th generation of Elantra.
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