• Genesis is recalling over 65,000 vehicles - 6,900 of them in Canada - to fix potentially defective seat belt pretensioners.
• The recall affects 2020-2023 G80 sedans, GV70 and GV80 SUVs and GV60 EVs.
• Kia and Hyundai have each already issued recalls to fix the same defect.
Genesis has issued a recall of over 65,000 2020-2023 G80, GV60, GV70 and GV80 vehicles to fix a potential defect with seat belt pretensioners, which could potentially explode during an accident, sending metal shrapnel flying through the cabin. Genesis Canada confirmed to Auto123 that of the total, 6,900 vehicles in Canada are affected by the recall.
Specifically, the campaign affects 9,720 units of the G80 sedan (built July 2020-January 2023), 940 units of the GV60 EV (built February-December 2022), 21,917 units of the GV70 (built March 2021-January 2023) and 32,940 units of the GV80 (built July 2020-December 2022).
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Genesis believes the defect is present in about 1 percent of the 65,517 vehicles being recalled. The components targeted by the campaign are equipped with pyrotechnic belt pretensioners that can “deploy abnormally in certain crashes due to over-pressurization of the pretensioner pipe,” according to the company. That could potentially send metal fragments flying through the passenger compartment, increasing the risk of injury.
The automaker is not aware of any deaths or injuries related to this situation.
One problem is that there are no warning signs that a pretensioner is about to fail. Genesis is saying that “the potential for this condition is dependent on vehicle characteristics, pretensioner load limiter specification, airbag control unit logic, and crash duration and severity.”
That of course brings several imponderables into play.
Owners of affected models will be notified by mail beginning in April 2023.
Dealers will ensure that a technician can secure the entire system to prevent it from being a hazard.
It's worth noting that the Transport Canada website shows a recall for the same (or at least very similar) problem was issued in 2021. The Hyundai Elantra and Venue, as well as the Genesis GV70 and GV80 were targeted at that time. The company says that Genesis models that have already been repaired will have to go back to the shop, which suggests that another cause of the problem has been detected.
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