Hyundai Recalls Nearly 1 Million Sonatas For Faulty Seat Belts
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Hyundai Motor Co. is recalling nearly 1 million of its popular Sonata sedans in the United States due to a seat belt defect. This issue has already been linked to at least one known injury.
The recall affects conventional, gas-powered Sonata's sold from the 2011 through the 2014 model year that were produced between December 11, 2009 and May 29, 2014. The 2011 to 2015 Sonata hybrid is also covered by this recall, per a report published by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The affected hybrid models were produced between December 2, 2010 and January 9, 2015.
According to Hyundai, the issue is within the seat belt assembly. The anchor pretensioner, which is fastened to the vehicle's sill, may not be fully connected to the seat belt's linkage. The means that, in the event of a collision, the linkage could become separated from the pretensioner, increasing the risk of injury.
While the automaker estimates that only 1 percent of Sonatas have this defect, they are still investigating issues their ZF-TRW seat belt supplier.
Affected owners will have to bring their car to their local Hyundai dealer, where a tech will inspect and verify the connection between the pretensioner and the seat belt linkage, ensuring proper attachment as necessary. These owners should begin receiving recall notices by mid-April.
