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Hyundai is recalling more than 47,000 Kona SUVs in the United States after discovering a defect in the rear center seat belt buckle that could increase the risk of injury in a crash.
According to documents released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the recall covers 47,749 vehicles, including certain 2025 Hyundai Kona Electric and 2026 Hyundai Kona models.
According to the automaker, the rear center seat belt buckle may not properly restrain the occupant during a crash.
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A Hyundai City Store operated by the company is seen in Karachi, Pakistan on February 8, 2022. (REUTERS/Akhtar Soomro/Reuters Photo)
“A seat belt buckle that fails to properly restrain the occupant in the event of a crash increases the risk of injury,” NHTSA said in its recall notice.
Hyundai advises owners not to use the rear center seat until the recall repair is completed.
The recall affects 47,733 2026 model year Kona SUVs and 16 2025 model year Kona electric vehicles.
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Hyundai dealership in Indianapolis, May 15, 2016. Hyundai is a South Korean automaker. (iStock/iStock)
According to recall documents, Hyundai supplier Joyson Safety Systems notified the automaker in February that testing had identified a potential problem with the rear center seat belt buckle used in the Kona.
Joyson determined that the problem may have arisen from inadequate inspection controls that allowed the metal stamping dies used to make the buckles to remain in service beyond their intended service life, resulting in excessive wear.
While there have been no confirmed crashes, injuries, fires or other incidents related to the issue, Hyundai said it decided to carry out the recall “out of an abundance of caution.”
Dealers will replace the rear center seat belt buckle free of charge. Hyundai also said it would reimburse owners who previously paid out of pocket to fix the problem.
| Ticker | Safety | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GIMLF | HYUNDAI MOTOR Company. | 89 | -31.00 | -25.83% |
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Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed on September 11th. Owners with questions can contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460 and reference recall reference number 306. NHTSA recall number is 26V452000. Vehicle identification numbers became searchable on NHTSA.gov on July 15.
A Hyundai spokesperson did not immediately respond to FOX Business’ request for comment.