Exploding Seat Belt Pretensioners Force Hyundai to Recall 239,000 Vehicles
You will hear a car company recalling a specific model or range of cars due to some manufacturing defect. The recall is to fix the issue that is a potential health and safety hazard for automobile drivers and passengers.
Hyundai has recently announced a recall on 239,000 cars with alleged reports of seal belt parts, also known as seat belt Pretensioners exploding. The reports showed that the pyrotechnic element installed with the car's seat belt has malfunctioned in several cars. This explosion sent metal shrapnel throughout the automobile.
What is a Seat Belt Pretensioner?
A Pretensioner is a component that comes as an attachment with all standard seat belts and deploys in the event of hard braking or collision to restrict driver's and passenger's body movement. The function of the Pretensioner is to tighten your seatbelt as a safety measure against collision. This helps restrain all car occupants into their seats while preventing them from being thrown forward.
While this is a common pyrotechnical feature in most modern cars, a defect in this component installed in Hyundai's vehicles is making them explode, potentially harming drivers and other occupants of the car.
Notice by NHTSA
Therefore, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has released a notice. This notice by the U.S. regulator warned the car owners about the abnormality and malfunction of the car's seat belts and Pretensioners. The notice states that the explosion could cause metal shrapnel to disburse throughout the car, causing injuries.
There have been reports of three injuries due to this seal belt Pretensioner exploding. 2 of these injuries were in the U.S, whereas one was in Singapore.
Car Models up for Recall by Hyundai
So far, the South Korean automobile manufacturer has included three of its vehicle models in the recall notice. These are
· Hyundai Accent 2019-2022
· Hyundai Elantra 2021-2023
· Hyundai Elantra (hybrid electric variant) 2021-2022
All of these affected makes and models are 4-door cars. According to the recall notice issued by the NHTSA, the car manufacturer is currently and actively looking into the root cause of the exploding seat belt Pretensioners.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, they had already notified Hyundai about the malfunction in September 2021. The incident involved a car occupant of the 2021 Hyundai Elantra who allegedly suffered from injuries from the Pretensioners explosion.
As a result, the occupant suffered an injury due to the explosion in the pretensioner attached to the driver's seatbelt. Since then, two more cases have been reported on similar malfunctions in other vehicles.
What If Your Car Is on the Recall List
If you are a car owner of any Hyundai, as mentioned earlier, cars and models listed, you will receive a notification via mail. This mail will contain all the instructions you will have to follow, mainly to take your car to the nearest Hyundai dealership.
Once your car is at the dealer, they will secure your micro gas generator and its delivery pipe in your car’s seal belt Pretensioner. The dealer will use a cap to cover the Pretensioner to prevent any abnormal deployment and eliminate the chances of metal shrapnel causing damage to car occupants.
So, if you are the owner of the cars up for recall, you must mark your calendar as you will be getting a notification soon. The chances are that you will receive a notification of action by July 15, 2022. Once you receive it, do not delay any further and head to your nearest Hyundai dealer to secure your Pretensioner.
If you have more questions about the issue and want to ask additional questions, you can always call Hyundai's customer services. Another way to get additional support is by contacting NHTSA's vehicle safety hotline at 888-327-4236 or visiting NHTSA’s website.
Is the Recall Free to Fix?
This is the best part – Yes, Hyundai will be offering a free-of-cost solution to the problem. Whether your vehicle is still under vehicle limited warranty coverage by Hyundai or not, you will have to pay no cost to have your seat belt Pretensioner capped. If you have to incur any out-of-pocket expenses to get your car fixed due to this issue, you may be eligible for reimbursement.
Do not expect Hyundai to take your old car and give you a brand new one. This recall only means that you will only get a complimentary repair service. Hyundai dealer will take your car in, secure the seat belt Pretensioner with a cap, do necessary maintenance, and return the car to you.
The recall means that Hyundai will do a free-of-charge repair and change how its seat belt Pretensioners are manufactured and installed in future models.
Hyundai has already corrected its recall condition during the car production process. Starting from May 16, vehicles manufactured by Hyundai Motors now come equipped with a micro gas generation pipe fitted with a vent valve. However, cars assembled by Hyundai Motor's Manufacturing plant in Alabama now use the cap as a running production change.
Hire an Experienced Lemon Law Attorney
If you are a vehicle owner suffering from manufacturing fault, you can contact an attorney with expertise in California Lemon Laws. The attorney will evaluate the entire situation and help you get a comprehensive claim against the damages.
Do not feel down or discouraged if your manufacturer has been unable to help you fix your car. Instead, you can protect your rights under the Lemon Law in California and even be eligible to receive a proper refund or replacement.
Get in touch with Naderi Law Group, an experienced Lemon Law Lawyer who will not only give you a free case assessment but also determine whether you have a lemon or not. You can count on us to provide sound legal representation.