NHTSA will decide if the Sonata seat belt is a safety issue is real or just a quirk of the regulations.
Hyundai has told the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that is replacing the center rear seat belt on more than 1,600 Sonata Hybrid models because the belt does not comply with a federal motor vehicle safety standard. The recall will allow Hyundai and its dealers to sell the vehicles that are in inventory once the proper seat belt is installed.
However, Hyundai is refusing to recall the more than 13,000 Sonata hybrid models that have been delivered to customers during 2011 and 2012 because it claims the non-compliance is “inconsequential.”
NHTSA had no immediate comment on the request, which covers a center rear safety belt with a release mechanism that detaches both the lap and shoulder portion at the lower anchorage point. This design is legal for non-folding rear seats, but for the folding ones installed in the Sonata hybrid. NHTSA alerted Hyundai of the violation of federal regulations as part o its ongoing compliance testing.
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn.
He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe.
Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap.
AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks.
Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.
