Photo: Kia
Do you have your fireworks ready for tonight? Well, if you happen to own one particular Hyundai or Kia model, then you won’t need any, as the front seatbelt pretensioners could explode on their own.
Truth be told, they will only explode upon deployment, aka in the event of an accident, which is why the Korean group decided to issue a recall in the United States for various vehicles.
A few documents released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) today, which happens to be July 4th, reveal that Hyundai and Kia are conducting two separate recalls due to this issue. The only Hyundai model affected is the 2020-2022 Venue, and over at Kia, you’re looking at certain 2021-2022 Sorento hybrids and 2022 Sorento plug-in hybrids.
But what exactly is the problem? Well, unless you forgot about the safety campaign conducted last year due to the same complication, which also included the Elantra, Venue, Genesis GV70, and GV80, that would be the “pyrotechnic-type seatbelt pretensioners that may deploy abnormally in certain crashes due to over-pressurization of the pretensioner pipe,” the safety agency explains. This could send shrapnel flying into the air, which might injure occupants.
The Venues that were repaired back then will have to be taken back to the dealers once more, together with additional units. In total, there are 72,470 examples of the Venue that have been included in this recall, alongside 17,199 copies of the electrified Sorento crossovers. All of them will be inspected by authorized dealers, who will secure the pretensioners with a cap to prevent potential abnormal deployment.
Owners of the affected Sorentos will be notified on or before August 19, and those of the Venues on or before August 26. All work will be performed free of charge, as usual. Hyundai’s customer service can answer questions on the topic at 1-855-371-9460, and Kia at 1-800-333-4542.
A few documents released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) today, which happens to be July 4th, reveal that Hyundai and Kia are conducting two separate recalls due to this issue. The only Hyundai model affected is the 2020-2022 Venue, and over at Kia, you’re looking at certain 2021-2022 Sorento hybrids and 2022 Sorento plug-in hybrids.
But what exactly is the problem? Well, unless you forgot about the safety campaign conducted last year due to the same complication, which also included the Elantra, Venue, Genesis GV70, and GV80, that would be the “pyrotechnic-type seatbelt pretensioners that may deploy abnormally in certain crashes due to over-pressurization of the pretensioner pipe,” the safety agency explains. This could send shrapnel flying into the air, which might injure occupants.
The Venues that were repaired back then will have to be taken back to the dealers once more, together with additional units. In total, there are 72,470 examples of the Venue that have been included in this recall, alongside 17,199 copies of the electrified Sorento crossovers. All of them will be inspected by authorized dealers, who will secure the pretensioners with a cap to prevent potential abnormal deployment.
Owners of the affected Sorentos will be notified on or before August 19, and those of the Venues on or before August 26. All work will be performed free of charge, as usual. Hyundai’s customer service can answer questions on the topic at 1-855-371-9460, and Kia at 1-800-333-4542.
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