— A Hyundai seat belt pretensioner recall has caused a class action lawsuit that alleges the automaker concealed the defects and waited too long to recall the vehicles.
The problem is the seat belt pretensioner that helps to secure an occupant in a crash.
The seat belt pretensioner should quickly tighten the seat belt against the occupant, but Hyundai says the pretensioners have been exploding.
The Hyundai pretensioner class action lawsuit includes 2019-2022 Hyundai Accents, 2021-2023 Hyundai Elantras and 2021-2022 Hyundai Elantra Hybrids.
A Hyundai pretensioner recall was announced in May for about 239,000 model year 2019-2022 Accent, 2021-2023 Elantra and 2021-2022 Elantra Hybrid vehicles in the U.S.
The recall included Hyundai vehicles equipped with front driver and passenger pyrotechnic-type seat belt pretensioners that could explode and send metal fragments into occupants.
The May 2022 recall wasn't the first for pretensioner problems, yet Hyundai's engineers still hadn't found a root cause for the explosions.
Documents related to the seat belt pretensioner recall said a Hyundai Elantra crash in September 2021 caused a driver to receive injuries from metal pretensioner fragments.
In December 2021, a second incident involving a 2020 Hyundai Accent in Puerto Rico allegedly caused injuries to a passenger when the seat belt pretensioner exploded, followed by a Singapore Elantra crash in February 2022.
The Singapore crash allegedly caused injuries to a backseat occupant when the front left pretensioner exploded.
Even though Hyundai announced a pretensioner recall a month after learning about the first crash in September 2021, the class action lawsuit alleges Hyundai concealed the problem from consumers.
"This Recall is untimely and ineffective at remedying the significant losses, which Plaintiff and the Class have suffered. Defendants actively concealed or suppressed these material facts, in whole or in part, to maintain a market for their vehicles, to protect profits, and to avoid recalls that would hurt the brand’s reputation and have significant costs." — Hyundai pretensioner lawsuit
Joining Hyundai's engineers, a third-party engineering company found the pretensioners shouldn't explode if caps are installed at the micro gas generators and delivery pipes. According to the May 2022 Hyundai pretensioner recall, dealerships will install the seat belt pretensioner caps.
Florida plaintiff Kris Jarrell, who sued for more than $5 million, doesn't allege her Hyundai Elantra seat belt pretensioner exploded.
The Hyundai seat belt pretensioner class action lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida (Orlando Division): Kris Jarrell v. Hyundai Motor America Corporation, et al.
The plaintiff is represented by Schlesinger Law Offices, P.A.
