Hyundai Venue Recall Issued For Exploding Pretensioners

July 3, 2022 — A 2020-2022 Hyundai Venue seat belt pretensioner recall involves more than 72,000 SUVs with front pretensioners at risk of exploding.

This is an ongoing problem for Hyundai and Kia which have issued previous seat belt pretensioner recalls.

Hyundai first learned of a problem in September 2021 when a 2021 Hyundai Elantra driver-side seat belt pretensioner exploded and sent shrapnel into an occupant's leg.

The front seat belt pretensioners use small explosions to quickly tighten the seat belts against occupants in crash impacts.

In December 2021, a pretensioner exploded in a 2020 Hyundai Accent in Puerto Rico, and in February 2022 a seat belt pretensioner exploded in a 2022 Hyundai Elantra in Singapore.

Hyundai Venues had not suffered any pretensioner problems, but the automaker tested the vehicles and learned it was possible for Venue seat belt pretensioners to explode.

"The over-pressurization of the pretensioner pipe leading to MGG [micro gas generator] separation is made possible by a combination of factors including occupant loading of the seat belt, vehicle-specific load limiter specifications, ACU logic, and vehicle crash severity/duration. Hyundai is not aware of any abnormal pretensioner deployment incidents, or related fatalities, injuries, crashes, or fires involving the subject Venue vehicles in the U.S. market." — Hyundai

The 2021 Hyundai Venue was recalled in October 2021, but this latest recall means those owners will need to return to dealerships.

Dealers will secure the seat belt pretensioners with caps once recall letters are mailed August 26, 2022.

Hyundai owners may call 855-371-9460 and use recall number 231.