Hyundai Sonata Recall Issued Over Airbag, Seat Belt Problems

More than 150,000 Hyundai Sonata vehicles are being recalled due to the potential for the airbag and seatbelt pretensioners to short circuit and fail, increasing the risk of injury to occupants during an auto accident. 

The Hyundai Sonata recall was announced by the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) on March 7, 2018, following three warranty claims indicating the airbag inflators failed to deploy in a crash. To date, no serious injuries have been reported in relation to the defective safety devices.

The affected vehicles are equipped with an Airbag Control Unit (ACU) designed to detect a crash signal and command deployment of the driver and front passenger airbags as well as the seatbelt pretensioners. Hyundai is warning customers that under certain circumstances, an electrical short could occur, preventing the airbags and seatbelt pretensioners from working properly and increasing the risk of crash injuries.

According to the NHTSA safety recall report, Hyundai opened an investigation in collaboration with its ACU parts supplier, ZF TRW of Livonia, Michigan and determined that in certain airbag deployment scenarios and electrical overstress could occur on a circuit inside the ACU module. This could cause the ACU circuitry to become damaged and fail to deploy the airbags and lock seatbelt pretensioners.

The recall affects about 154,753 Hyundai Sonata four-door vehicles that were manufactured by Hyundai Motors America from December 2009 through September 2010.

Hyundai and its parts supplier are currently still working with the NHTSA to determine a remedy for the safety recall and will provide updates as progress is made. The recall is expected to begin on April 20, 2018.

Customers with questions or concerns regarding the recall are being asked to contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460 and reference the recall number 174.