Hyundai recalls almost 300,000 vehicles over potentially deadly safety issue

Car manufacturer Hyundai has announced the recall of more than 294,000 vehicles due to potentially defective seat belts that could cost passengers their lives.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced the recall on Monday April 6 and said that a total of 294,128 Hyundai vehicles would be recalled due to a safety issue in which a ‘detached seat belt anchor’ in the driver and passenger seats’ would ‘not adequately restrain the seat occupant, increasing the risk of injury in a crash.’

Although not all vehicles are affected by the potentially dangerous issue, the models most likely to have the fault are certain 2023-2025 Hyundai Ioniq 6 models, 2023-2026 Genesis G90 vehicles and 2024-2026 Santa Fe and Santa Fe Hybrid models.

According to the announcement, dealers will ‘inspect and reinforce or replace the seat belt anchors, as necessary, free of charge.’

Letters will be sent to affected owners on June 5, however, drivers can confirm if their vehicle is affected by searching for their Vehicle Identification Numbers on NHTSA.gov immediately.

Several models are affected by the recall (Artistic Operations/Getty Images)

The latest recall comes less than a year after the manufacturer was forced to recall over half a million vehicles due to similar concerns.

Around 568,580 cars in September were recalled due to potential issues with securely fastening seatbelts.

“The subject vehicles are equipped with seat belt buckle assemblies in the front row and second row outer seating positions that may contain out-of-specification components manufactured by the supplier,” the NHTSA said in a report. “These components can cause interference within the latch channel, potentially increasing friction, particularly under cold ambient temperatures."

Affected vehicles can be returned for repair or replacement (MarianVejcik/Getty Images)

The affected vehicles included Hyundai Palisade models produced between 2020 and 2025.

"Improperly produced seat belt buckles, combined with slow insertion of the seat belt tongue plate, may prevent the seat belt buckle from fully latching,” the report continued, while also highlighting that ‘out of specification’ components may also have been used.

Sales of the 2026 Palisade Limited and Calligraphy trims in the U.S. and Canada were also halted last month over safety concerns following the tragic death of a 2 year old girl who was pinned down by a power seat in her family car.

“In certain situations, those seats may not adequately detect contact with an occupant or object as intended,” the car manufacturer said in a press release. “Hyundai urges owners to use caution when operating the second and third-row power seat functions and to ensure that no person or object, including children, is in the seat or seat-folding area before operating the power seat.”