Hyundai North America was reported to recall almost 1 million cars to check potentially incorrectly installed seat belts. These were supplied by what is now the combined ZF-TRW.
Upon further checking, this fatal mistake appears to be a vehicle assembly issue rather than faulty components. In a report by the NHTSA bulletin, 997,778 US and Korean-built cars are affected.
These 997,778 to include the model year 2011 to 2014 Hyundai Sonata sedans which were produced at Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama from December 11, 2019, to May 29, 2014. Not only that, but the 2011 to 2015 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid sedans produced by Hyundai Motor Company in South Korea between December 2, 2010, and January 9, 2015 are also being recalled.
2014 was the final model year for that generation of US-built Sonata. After that, the company redesigned the line for 2015 and provided further updates for the years 2016 and 2017.
This is close to a million cars which potentially could cause critical damage in the event of a vehicular accident. It is a good thing that Hyundai recalls the Hyundai Sonata and Sonata Hybrid models now.
In their statement, the NHTSA explained the error further. An excerpt from the report reads, "The front seat belt assembly... incorporates a seat belt anchor pretensioner fastened to the vehicle's inner sill structure. During vehicle assembly, the anchor pretensioner is fastened to the sill prior to being connected to the seat belt linkage. If, during vehicle assembly, the connector does not fully latch when the linkage is pressed onto the connector, the seat belt can detach from the anchor pretensioner."
The good news is that Hyundai is taking action. NHTSA further notes, "Hyundai and the seat belt supplier continue to investigate this issue."
The Hyundai Sonata and Hyundai Sonata Hybrid owners will be notified of the recall during April and May this year. The dealers will "verify the connection between the seat belt linkage and the anchor pretensioner's cable connector for both front seat belts," according to the NHTSA.
As mentioned above, the Hyundai Sonata models in question have been replaced by a redesign model line. Stay tuned on Auto World News for more updates.
In the meantime, let us know your thoughts in the comment section down below.
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