Washington - Hyundai Motor will recall 281 000 vehicles in North America over seat-belt pretensioners that could explode and project metal fragments, causing injuries.
The recall, which comes after three injury reports, covers some 2019 to 2022 Hyundai Accent, 2021-2023 Elantra, and 2021-2022 Elantra hybrid vehicles. None of these vehicles are currently sold in South Africa.
In the event of a crash, front driver or passenger-side seat-belt pretensioners could explode upon deployment. Dealers will secure seat belt pretensioners with a cap, Hyundai says.
Seat belt pretensioners are part of the a system that locks the seat belt in place during a crash to provide additional protection to occupants.
This recall expands and replaces four earlier recalls. All Accent, Elantra, and Elantra HEV vehicles already repaired under the previous recalls will need to have the new recall fix completed, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration(NHTSA) said on Tuesday.
The new recall includes 239 000 vehicles in the United States and about 42 000 in Canada, Hyundai said. Two injurie swere reported in the United States and one in Singapore.
In 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.
Hyundai, which has extensively investigated the root cause of the issue, said it was still actively investigating Venue and Genesis GV70/GV80 vehicles that were previously recalled.
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Reuters