The contact owns a 2018 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that upon entering the vehicle, the contact became aware that the driver’s side seat belt failed to latch securely into the buckle. The seat belt warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the seat belt buckle. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, a case was opened, and the contact was referred to the federal safety agency Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 45,000.
2018 Hyundai Sonata: seat belt won't latch or retract
5 of the 375 complaints about the 2018 Hyundai Sonata describe seat belt won't latch or retract.
- owner complaints
- 5
- of this car's complaints
- 1%
- recalls
- 0
Seat belt won't latch or retract by model year
What owners say
The passenger side seat belt locks up. It can lock up immediately when putting it on or it can lock up if I just lean a little bit forward. It will get tighter and tighter to the point where it is very uncomfortable. I have to unhook the seatbelt and re hook. Sometimes this takes many attempts. This is scary when you are going down the highway at 65mph. The dealership has replaced it twice. They were able to see the problem because my husband drove straight to the dealership once when it locked up on me. The last time they replaced it, no one was in the passenger side until we were leaving for vacation. We didn't even get out of the garage when it locked up again. The dealership was reluctant to replace it. They said all seat belts lock up! Because of Covid my husband and I haven't driven much. Once we started going out again we became aware of the problem.
2018 hyundai sonata was in motion, with a speed of approximately 20 miles per hour, when a vehicle in front of the hyundai sonata stopped suddenly and the 2018 hyundai sonata rear ended the other vehicle. The 2018 hyundai sonata's airbags did not deploy. Days prior to the motor vehicle accident, the the owner discovered the driver's side seatbelt would not retract to create tension after initial application to secure seatbelt however, tension of the seatbelt was identified with application of the brakes, while leaning forward, and while 2018 hyundai sonata was in motion. Concern is the fact the airbag did not deploy appropriately during a front end collision while in motion at approximately 20 miles per hour; possibly related to the federal safety agency action number ea19001, april 19, 2019, regarding the 'air bag acu electrical overstress' that is currently open and under investigation. See pictures attached.
While driving 30mph approaching a red light, my 2018 sonata cut off once I came to a complete stop at the red light. I was in city limits approaching a hwy intersection. The check engine light came on and the car restarted after one attempt. Once the vehicle re started it was sluggish,sputtering and would not accelerate over 20mph... I made it home safely nonetheless. I left the car parked for approx 10 mins and it restarted easily. I then drove it directly to the local dealer where the car was purchased. I was told the car stopped because the engine system required an update. The update was completed and I drove the car home. The next day or maybe two days later I received a letter from the dealership saying my car required a free recall and to schedule a date to have the car serviced. Over the phone I was told something along the lines of the engine harness needed to be replaced. When the car's engine cut off in traffic I was en route to picking up my toddler. I no longer felt safe driving the vehicle and I traded the car in and cut my losses, which were substantial. Other problems I noticed in the time I had the vehicle were that the back passenger seat belt locked or anchored if I leaned forward slightly and low visibility at night through the front winshield.
Originally, the seat belt would lock up and not release as we were driving. No sudden stops, it would just tighten up and lock. Service dept finally replaced the entire unit (so they claim). Now when passenger pulls belt to attach we hear a clicking sound and belt locks and will not release and allow passenger to lean forward like the drivers belt does
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the 2018 Hyundai Sonata seat belt
Is seat belt won't latch or retract a common problem on the 2018 Hyundai Sonata?
5 of 375 owner complaints about the 2018 Hyundai Sonata (1%) mention seat belt won't latch or retract. The model year with the most reports is 2006.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2018 Hyundai Sonata?
There is no recall or service bulletin for this area of the car on record.
Other symptoms on the 2018 Hyundai Sonata
Check engine light 80Oil consumption 79Engine failure 63Knocking 41Stalling 33Loss of power 20Headlights 18Misfire 17Hesitation 15Jerking 15Fire or smoke 14Won't shift 14Won't start 12Fuel pump 11ABS 10Warning lights 7Adaptive cruise 6Shudder 6No deployment 5
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