South Korean automaker, Hyundai, will begin on April 7 to recall nearly one million Sonata sedans and Sonata hybrids manufactured in the United States due to faulty seat belt. Unless the faulty seat belt is fixed, it could fail to hold properly in the event of a collision, leading to significant injury. Hyundai admits that the error in properly anchoring the seat belt to its moorings occurred during assembly in its Alabama manufacturing plant.
Why the Hyundai Sonata recall is necessary
Hyundai became aware of the defective seat belt in its Sonata sedans and hybrid vehicles when a collision occurred last September. The vehicle involved was a Sonata 2013 model sedan. The front seat belt failed to hold and the passenger suffered minor injury. No other related accident or deaths have been reported since then in relation to the defective seat belt.
Although a total of 977,779 midsize Sonata vehicles will be recalled, Hyundai says only 1% of the total recall may have contained the seat belt defect, CNET reported. To this extent, the vehicles affected are 2011-2014 models manufactured between December 11, 2009 to May 29, 2014 for Sonata sedans. And Sonata hybrid cars of 2011-2015 model years produced between December 2, 2010 to January 9, 2015.
When will the recall of the affected vehicles begin?
According a filing made with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the affected vehicle recall will begin on April 7 per NY Daily News. Although affected vehicle owners will be contacted by email before then, owners can also enter their VIN on NHTSA recall website to know if their car is among those recalled. Without any additional cost to the owners, recalled vehicles will examined at Hyundai dealership centers where auto experts will examine the seat belt system to be certain it is correctly anchored. Those not attached properly will be repaired before the vehicles are returned to their owners.
It is necessary that affected vehicle owners take their cars for inspection and possible repairs to prevent injuries during collision. It is estimated that the inspection and repair time will not exceed a couple of days but the wait should be worth it, there is really nothing to worry about. It is better to take precaution than to be sorry as a result of one's negligence, and that is the main reason behind Hyundai's recent recall.
