Exploding Seat Belts Cause Injuries
On May 24, 2022, the Associated Press reported that Hyundai was recalling 239,000 cars in the United States because seat belt pretensioners were exploding and injuring vehicle occupants.
Three reported injuries included two in the United States and one in Singapore, and you should contact a San Francisco personal injury lawyer if you are the victim of a vehicle fire or injury caused by defective parts.
Details Regarding Exploding Seat Belt Injuries in San Francisco
Government regulators said in a letter to the Korean automaker that the driver and front passenger seat belt pretensioners could explode upon deployment and send shrapnel throughout the vehicle.
A seat belt pretensioner is the part of a seat belt that locks the seatbelt in place when there is a crash.
The recall expanded and replaced three prior recalls, including the 2019-2022 Accents, 2021-2023 Elantras, and 2021-2022 Elantra HEVs.
Vehicles that were repaired under any of the previous recalls need to again be brought to dealerships for a new remedy.
Owners can take recalled vehicles to dealerships where seat belt pretensioners will be fitted with a cap at no cost to the owners.
The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) said Hyundai was expected to notify owners before July 15.
Owners can contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460 and reference recall number 229 for additional information.
They are also able to call the NHTSA vehicle safety hotline at 1-888-327-4236 or go to www.nhtsa.gov.
Other Seat Belt Fires
In September 2018, NPR reported that Ford recalled two million Ford F-150 pickup trucks after there were more than 20 reports of smoke or fire coming from the seat belts.
The recall applied to certain Regular Cab and SuperCrew Cab vehicles from model years 2015 to 2018.
The problem was again with seat belt pretensioners.
Ford’s own investigation found that some front seat belt pretensioners could generate excessive sparks when they deploy, possibly causing fires in the insulation or carpet.
Ford said it saw 17 reports of smoke or fire in the United States and six more in Canada, although it did not receive reports of accidents or injuries.
Most of the affected vehicles were in the United States, although Canada had almost 340,000 and Mexico had about 36,000.
Federal safety regulators began a preliminary investigation into the issue upon receiving five complaints.
NHTSA said that two fires were self-extinguished while the other three vehicles were totally destroyed by fire.
In one complaint with NHTSA, a car owner said a deer ran into their car, deploying their airbag.
Shortly after that, they noticed a fire near the seat belt, and the truck went up in complete flames in a matter of minutes, becoming a complete loss.
NHTSA said in a statement that car owners should watch for recall notifications from Ford Motor Co. and take action when it is time to get a free repair.
The repair could involve removing insulation material and applying heat-resistant tape.
Ford said in a filing with U.S. securities regulators that the recall would cost around $140 million and be counted in its third-quarter results. The company’s stock value went down more than 0.6 percent.
Reuters reported that some of the faulty parts were built by Takata, the maker of the airbags that were the subject of the largest automotive recall in United States history.
That same week, Toyota announced it was recalling about 192,000 Prius vehicles in the United States over concern about potential fires.
What You Should Do After a Seat Belt Injury
While most seat belt injuries that occur during a motor vehicle crash will be minor, there can be instances in which a seatbelt may lead to much more serious injuries requiring extended medical treatment.
A seat belt will usually provide protection in the event of a car accident by restraining you when the vehicle comes to a sudden stop.
While the use of seat belts usually reduces the risk of serious injury in a car crash, they can also be the cause of injuries to drivers or passengers. Whether a person suffers injuries because of a seat belt depends on several factors, such as:
- How quickly a vehicle was traveling at the time of a collision
- Whether a seat belt was functioning properly or there was a malfunction
- Where a seat belt was placed
- Whether a seat belt had a manufacturer defect unknown to you or another occupant
- How severe the collision was
- Whether a seat belt was a simple lap belt or a shoulder belt going across the sternum
All of these factors might contribute to a serious injury in the event of a motor vehicle crash. A seat belt that malfunctions could break upon impact and fail to restrain you or passengers as intended, causing serious bodily injury.
A high-speed collision can also lead to a seat belt injury because of the impact of the seat belt on the body, causing abdominal injuries that might lead to internal organ bruising or other internal injuries.
People often have bruises or abrasions because of a seat belt’s restraint on the body, and the severity of a crash often influences how serious seat belt injuries will be.
Types of injuries usually depend on where seat belts were located on the body because seat belts wrapping around a person’s lap (lap belts) often cause injuries that are more internal, like spinal cord or lumbar spine injuries or internal abdominal injuries.
Seat belts going across the shoulder (shoulder belts) may cause neck injuries, sternum injuries, and shoulder lacerations.
Other common injuries caused by seat belts can include:
- Abrasions and lacerations
- Bruised or fractured ribs
- Intestinal injuries
- Sternum and chest injuries
- Soft tissue injuries in the abdomen
- Neck injuries due to whiplash
- Head contusions from an impact with the steering wheel or dashboard
- Torn shoulder muscles and tendons
- Abdominal wall injuries
It is also possible to suffer from “seat belt syndrome” because of your seat belt positioning during a car accident. This involves internal damage caused by a seat belt that is not always immediately apparent after a crash.
You might not experience symptoms of this for several hours or days even though you actually have abdominal injuries that are severe. Such concerns are exactly why it is always critical for car accident victims to always go to a hospital to get a physical examination and check for any internal injuries after a car accident.
Call Us Today to Schedule a Free Consultation with a San Francisco Personal Injury Lawyer
Has your vehicle caught fire and caused serious injuries or complete automobile damage? The Cartwright Law Firm has the experience handling all kinds of vehicle recall issues and can fight to make sure you can recover fair and full financial compensation for all costs you have sustained because of an accident like this.
You can call (415) 433-0444 or contact us online to set up a free case review that will allow us to take a much closer look at your case and advise you on what your next steps should be.
