The rear driver‑side seat belt in my 2025 Hyundai Elantra will not extend or retract. The seat belt was used under normal conditions, with no excessive force, misuse, or accident that would cause damage. It suddenly stopped functioning and is now completely inoperable. A non‑functioning seat belt is a serious safety hazard because passengers cannot be properly restrained. I brought the vehicle to the dealership, but they refused to repair or replace the seat belt under warranty. They claimed the belt was “overextended,” despite the fact that it was only used normally and has never been involved in any incident that would cause such damage. The dealer’s refusal to address a critical safety component leaves the vehicle unsafe for passengers. I am reporting this issue because seat belt failure should not occur under normal use, and the manufacturer/dealer is declining to correct the defect.
Hyundai Elantra seat belt problems
62 of the 8,746 owner complaints about the Hyundai Elantra describe seat belt won't latch or retract, most of them for the 2002 model year.
- owner complaints
- 62
- worst model year
- 2002
- typical repair cost reported
- $1,000
- typical mileage
- 67,198
By model year
Often reported together
Airbag light 9No deployment 8Whining noise 1Won't shift 1Stalling 1Slipping 1Hesitation 1Door locks 1
What owners say
I bought my car at McGrath Hyundai in chicago in May 2021. It’s been in their shop 30 plus times for various and repeated issues. As of late, over the last 6 months, I have reported to them and to Hyundai, my drivers side seat belt won’t retract properly and the high mounted brake light warning continuously goes off, a dinging, stating that there is an issue. Hyundai and McGrath repeatedly misdiagnosed and refused to fix these issues when they were first brought to their attention when under 60,000 miles. NOW that the car is over 60,000 miles, conveniently they’re stating that it’s out of warranty and will cost $2k. The technicians and service advisor Christine Tonelli at McGrath, knowingly and willfully misdiagnosed my car, attempting to cover up the issues stating that there was no issue. They said the seat belt was fine and the wiring wasn’t the issue for the high mount d brake light and kept changing the bulb. They knew it should have known there was a seat belt issue with it not retracting and the same with the high mount d brake light. Suddenly after 60,000 miles, they now state I was right the whole time by telling me it will be $2000 to fix it. I have all service records and emails.
. During the accident on February 1, 2025, at the moment of impact, the passenger seat belt suddenly unlatched and became stuck on my right hand. As a direct result, I suffered a fracture in my right hand at the exact point where the belt got caught, as well as fractures in my foot, ribs, back, and multiple other injuries. This seat belt failure left me completely exposed to much greater danger, including the possibility of being ejected through the front windshield. If it had not been for my feet getting trapped, I likely would have been thrown out of the vehicle. I firmly believe that this seat belt malfunction contributed significantly to the severity of my injuries.
Seatbelt failed passenger was thrown forward hitting windshield afterwards airbag deployed throwing passenger upwards hitting roof of vehicle Issue: Delayed airbag deployment Issue: Seatbelt failure
The contact owns a 2017 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated that while attempting to park the vehicle in a driveway, she was unaware if she was depressing the brake pedal or accelerator pedal; however, the vehicle accelerated out of control and crashed into her barn, where it came to a stop. No air bags deployed. The contact stated that she did not sustain injuries. No medical attention was required. The contact stated that a police report was filed. The vehicle was towed by her insurance company. The fire department was at the scene. The contact mentioned the vehicle was stuck in the barn on both the driver and passenger sides of the vehicle. The contact mentioned that the seat belt did not retract. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
March 26, 2024 Hello; Re: 2009 Hyundai Elantra Touring VIN# [XXX] On [XXX], I while driving on a very icy slippery road to do low temperatures and the city not salting the roads like they should have! I was going approximately 22 mph & somehow I lost control of my car & slammed into a light pole & the whole entire front end of my car was destroyed! Meanwhile, none of the airbags deployed & I slammed into the steering wheel! I had my seatbelt on & it immediately locked up on me & someone had to cut me out of the seatbelt! I was transported to the hospital emergency, while my car was towed to "E. End Auto" @ 64 10th Ave. Dickinson, ND I suffered severe injuries such as back & neck injuries, 4 bruised ribs & horribly severe bruises to my left eye & scars! As soon as I possibly could I contacted "E End Auto" to find out what to do next & they informed me that the tow charges were approximately $700 & that was less than a 2-mile tow! Additionally each day the car sat in their storage lot it was $75 per day! It took me a few days to get a ride to get to my car due to pain and suffering, which I'm still experiencing terribly!! So, by the time I got to my car it had been there approximately 3 to 4 days & my bill was over $1,000! I spoke with the owner & pleaded & begged him if he could possibly offer me something for my car since it was obviously totaled out! He said absolutely no & that if I gave him the title to my car he would zero out the bill! So unfortunately hesitantly I had no choice, so I signed over the title! This business used to take vehicles that were wrecked & part them out. Unfortunately, they do not do that any longer & my car would soon be transferred to the salvage yard & be crushed! I don't understand what could have happened! I'm asking with all due respect and consideration if this matter can be looked into please?! Thank You INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
The driver side seatbelt is pulled out and will not retract. Our safety is at risk every time we drive this vehicle as the seatbelt won't protect the driver from being flung into other passengers or prevent from being flung out of the vehicle. This issue has been confirmed by Walser Hyundai in Brooklyn Park, MN on 11/7/23. There were no warning signs of the issue except for seat belt seeming to retract slow for the last5/1/ couple years.
The contact owns a 2015 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated that the front driver's side seat belt failed to latch as needed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to file a complaint with the federal safety agency Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 106,000.
I rear ended another vehicle going 60, I slowed down as much as possible however the seat belt did not lock, the airbags did not go off & the vehicle skid. The vehicle was taken to a lot by my insurance for evaluation.
The contact owns a 2008 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated that after latching the front driver’s side seat belt, the locking mechanism would not immediately unlock when clicking the release button. The cause of the failure was not determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were notified of the failure but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 85,000.
Related recalls
Seat belts: front
- What is wrong
- Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Accent, 2021-2022 Elantra, and 2021-2022 Elantra HEV vehicles. In the event of a crash, the front driver-side and/or passenger-side seat belt pretensioners may explode upon deployment.
- Risk
- An exploding seat belt pretensioner can project metal fragments into the vehicle, strike vehicle occupants, and result in injury.
- Remedy
- Dealers will secure the seat belt pretensioner(s) with a cap, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 28, 2022. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1‑855‑371‑9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 229. This recall expands and replaces the federal safety agency recall numbers 21V‑796, 22V‑069, 22V‑218, and 22V‑123 for Accent, Elantra, and Elantra HEV vehicles. All Accent, Elantra, and Elantra HEV vehicles already repaired under the previous recalls will need to have the new remedy completed.
Recall number 22V354000 · Recall details
Seat belts: front
- What is wrong
- Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2021-2022 Elantra and 2020 Accent vehicles. In the event of a crash, the front driver and passenger-side seat belt pretensioners may explode upon deployment.
- Risk
- Exploding seat belt pretensioners can project metal fragments into the vehicle, strike vehicle occupants, and result in injury.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the seat belt pretensioners, free of charge. Interim notification letters, notifying owners of the safety risk, were mailed on May 31, 2022. A second notice will be sent once remedy parts become available. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1‑855‑371‑9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 223. This recall is replaced by the federal safety agency recall number 22V‑354. Vehicles already repaired under this recall will need to have the new remedy completed.
Recall number 22V218000 · Recall details
Seat belts: pretensioner
- What is wrong
- Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2022 Elantra and Elantra HEV vehicles. In the event of a crash, the front passenger-side seat belt pretensioner may explode upon deployment.
- Risk
- An exploding seat belt pretensioner can project metal fragments into the vehicle, striking vehicle occupants and resulting in injury.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the seat belt pretensioners, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed May 19, 2022. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1‑855‑371‑9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 220. This recall is an expansion of the federal safety agency recall numbers 21V‑796 and 22V‑069. This recall is replaced by the federal safety agency recall number 22V‑354. Vehicles already repaired under this recall will need to have the new remedy completed.
Recall number 22V123000 · Recall details
Seat belts: pretensioner
- What is wrong
- Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2021 Elantra, Elantra HEV, Venue, Genesis GV80 and 2022 Genesis GV70 vehicles. In the event of a crash, the front driver-side and/or passenger-side seat belt pretensioner(s) may explode upon deployment.
- Risk
- An exploding seat belt pretensioner could project metal fragments into the vehicle, striking vehicle occupants and resulting in injury.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the seat belt pretensioners, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed February 10, 2022. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1‑855‑371‑9460. Hyundai's numbers for this recall are 211 and 009G. This recall is replaced by the federal safety agency recall numbers 22V‑354 for Elantra and Elantra HEV vehicles, 22V‑458 for Venue vehicles, and 23V‑094 for Genesis vehicles. Elantra, Elantra HEV, Venue, and Genesis vehicles already repaired under this recall will need to have the new remedies completed.
Recall number 21V796000 · Recall details
Questions about the Hyundai Elantra seat belt
Which Hyundai Elantra years have seat belt won't latch or retract problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2002 (11 complaints), 2013 (6 complaints) and 2000 (5 complaints).
How much does it cost to fix seat belt won't latch or retract on the Hyundai Elantra?
Owners who mentioned a price put the repair at about $1,000 (median of 6 complaints that include a dollar amount). Costs vary with mileage, warranty and where the work is done.
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