Hyundai Recalls 38K Vehicles Over Faulty Airbags and Seatbelts

• Hyundai issued a recall that covers 37,901 vehicles that could be affected by airbags and seatbelt pretensioners that won’t deploy in the event of a crash.
• Recall documents show that the recall affects certain 2019–2022 Veloster N and 2019–2023 Kona Electric vehicles.
• The recall stems from a software error that may incorrectly deactivate both the airbag and seatbelt pretensioners.

Hyundai issued a recall over a concerning safety issue that could affect as many as 37,901 vehicles, documents filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) show. According to the recall paperwork, the recall covers some 2019–2022 Veloster N and 2019–2023 Kona Electric vehicles, whose airbags and seatbelt pretensioners may not deploy in a crash.

Hyundai

The recall population is split between 8843 Velosters and 29,058 Konas. According to the recall documents, the issue with the airbags and seatbelt pretensioners originates from a software error. Each of the affected cars comes equipped with an Airbag Control Unit, or ACU, that detects crash signals and instructs the airbags and seatbelt pretensioners to deploy. The NHTSA documents show that the ACU’s software may be corrupted when the system reboots while the ACU is writing data to its internal memory. At a minimum, there is a warning to notify drivers of the issue. If the ACU’s data is corrupted, the airbag malfunction indicator light will illuminate on the dashboard.

The recall comes after more than a year of testing and attempts to recreate the issue by both Hyundai and the ACU’s supplier, following an increase in airbag warranty light claims that was identified in August 2024. As of October 2026, Hyundai was aware of 331 reported incidents alleging the recall complaint, though, thankfully, the company was not aware of any crashes, fires, or injuries.

Owners of affected vehicles will be instructed to bring their car to a Hyundai dealer, where technicians will update the ACU software. The update will be performed for free, and Hyundai will reimburse owners for out-of-pocket expenses incurred to get the fix before the recall was filed. Letters notifying both Hyundai dealers and affected owners of the recall will be mailed on January 1, 2027.

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Jack Fitzgerald’s love for cars stems from his as yet unshakable addiction to Formula 1. After a brief stint as a detailer for a local dealership group in college, he knew he needed a more permanent way to drive all the new cars he couldn’t afford and decided to pursue a career in auto writing. By hounding his college professors at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, he was able to travel Wisconsin seeking out stories in the auto world before landing his dream job at Car and Driver. His new goal is to delay the inevitable demise of his 2010 Volkswagen Golf.

Source: www.caranddriver.com — article syndicated from the publisher’s feed; all rights remain with the original publisher.