Hyundai Recalls Explosive Seatbelt Mechanisms

Thankfully the recall is smaller in scale than the previous two, and only affects 978 cars, including the 2021 Hyundai Elantra, Elantra HEV, Venue, and Genesis GV80 vehicles. The 2022 Genesis GV70 is also affected. According to the manufacturer, the front driver-side and passenger-side seat belt pretensioners could explode during a crash. Hyundai said that the cars affected had pretensioners fitted with “pyrotechnic-type pretensioners” that could explode in the case of a serious accident, which in turn could cause more damage, and in extreme cases, even death due to metal fragments being scattered throughout the cabin, almost like a hand grenade.

This is ironic, as Hyundai and Genesis have spent massive amounts of money on advanced safety tech like the Genesis GV70’s ability to prevent child heatstroke.