Genesis has launched a recall campaign that impacts the G80, the GV60, the GV70, and the GV80 as a result of a seatbelt pretensioner that could explode in an accident. The recall is related to a wider Hyundai Motor Group recall that stems from a supplier error.
The vehicles in question are equipped with pyrotechnic seatbelt pretensioners that are intended to keep the driver and front seat passenger in place during an accident. In 2021, however, a Hyundai Elantra was involved in an accident, and the driver’s side pretensioner allegedly exploded, shooting metal fragments into an occupant’s leg.
That led to a recall in June, but further testing last month led the automaker to the conclusion that the pretensioner could deploy abnormally in vehicles with different “time-to-fire” settings than were found in the Elantra, prompting it to reevaluate the factors that could contribute to a safety issue.
Read: Over 72,000 Hyundai Venues Have Seat Belt Pretensioners That Could Explode
On February 9, Hyundai’s North American Safety Decision Authority convened and, out of what it describes as an “abundance of caution,” decided to initiate a recall of model year 2021-2023 Genesis G80s built between July 25, 2020, and January 25, 2023; model year 2023 GV60s built between February 4 and December 27, 2022; model year 2022-2023 GV70s made between March 10, 2021, and January 11, 2023; and model year 2020-2023 GV80s manufactured between July 27, 2020, and December 29, 2022.
Genesis claims, though, that it has not received any reports of injuries, fires, or deaths in its vehicles as a result of this issue. In all, it will have to call 65,517 vehicles in the U.S. back to the dealers to solve this issue.
The automaker plans to start reaching out to customers on April 17. Once at the dealership, a technician will secure the seatbelt pretensioner’s micro gas generator and delivery pipe with a cap. This will prevent the part from exploding, the automaker says, and, as always, the repairs will be made free of charge to owners.
