Extensive Hyundai Recalls Seek to Fix Seatbelt Connector Issues

Fountain Valley, Calif. — Apr. 06, 2017 — A five year span of Hyundai models could be at risk according to a new voluntary safety recall. Two specific vehicle types are involved: The 2011-2014 Hyundai Sonata and the 2011 to 2015 Sonata Hybrid. As of March 7, the recall was number 17V152000 in the official National Highway Traffic Safety Administration database.

The Defect

The Part 573 Safety Recall Report with the NHTSA said that affected vehicles could contain seatbelts at risk of coming apart. This would be because of a linkage problem with the seatbelt connector preventing it from latching completely.

This would put the person in the vehicle at higher risk, and Hyundai said it has already detected a single minor injury attributed to this defect. The report also said that the recall potentially involves 977,778 Hyundai cars, approximately 1 percent of which are thought to have the defect. The component manufacturer was ZF-TRW, from Livonia, Michigan.

  • September- November, 2016: The official chronology document lodged with the NHTSA said that this period saw two different reports of incidents related to this case emerge.
  • December-February, 2016: During these months, Hyundai worked with the component supplier on the issue, sharing information before Hyundai agreed on the recall on Feb. 28..
  • March, 2017: After the recall report submission date of March 8, the dealer notification date is planned for March 31.
  • April-May, 2017: The owner notification actions are scheduled for these months, ranging specifically from April 7 to May 5.

The Resolution

Though the report did not list specifics for the remedy, it did state that dealers could inspect the vehicles and look for problems with the connectors. The auto manufacturer itself has also stopped producing this model, and there was no specific recall schedule given as of this time.

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