Hyundai Motor America has issued a recall for 281,000 cars over explosion-prone seat belt pretensioners. It fears that the faulty part could cause severe injuries to the occupants.
The automaker has issued a recall after three injury reports. The recalled models include the 2019-2022 Hyundai Accent, 2021-2023 Elantra, and 2021-2022 Elantra hybrid.
The company learned that during a crash, the front driver or passenger-side seat belt pretensioners explode upon deployment. It has distributed special caps among dealerships that will cover the faulty components and prevent them from exploding.
In a crash, seat belt pretensioners lock the seat belts in place to protect the occupants from a violent jerk or from hitting the dash.
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) informed Hyundai of an accident involving a 2021 Elantra, where its driver-side seat belt pretensioner malfunctioned, causing metal shards to severely injure a passenger.
After two more such incidents, NHTSA has taken Hyundai to task and ordered them to address the issue immediately. As a result, the company has recalled 239,000 cars in the USA, 42,000 in Canada, and one in Singapore.