Hyundai recalls 239,000 cars for exploding seat belt parts

The logo of Hyundai Motor Co. is seen on its car at the company's showroom in Seoul, South Korea on July 26, 2012. (AP / Ahn Young-joon)

WASHINGTON — Hyundai is recalling 239,000 cars in the U.S. because the seat belt pretensioners can explode and injure vehicle occupants. Three injuries have been reported, two in the U.S. and one in Singapore.

In a letter to the Korean automaker, government regulators said that the driver's and front passenger's seat belt pretensioners can explode upon deployment and send shrapnel throughout the vehicle. Pretensioners tighten the belts in preparation for a crash.

The recall, which expands and replaces three previous recalls, includes 2019-2022 Accents, 2021-2023 Elantras and 2021-2022 Elantra HEVs, or hybrid electric vehicles. Vehicles repaired under the previous recalls will need to be brought to dealerships again for the new remedy.

Owners will be able to take their recalled vehicles to dealerships where the seat belt pretensioners will be fit with a cap at no cost. Hyundai is expected to notify owners by July 15, the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration said.

For more information, owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460 and reference recall number 229. They can also call the NHTSA vehicle safety hotline at 1-888-327-4236 or go to www.nhtsa.gov.