Seatbelt Issues Lead to Another Santa Fe Sports Vehicle Recall

When cars have repeated problems, it can be very frustrating for the vehicle owners. A Los Angeles lemon law attorney should be consulted by car owners who are facing continual problems with their vehicles. These car owners may have legal rights.

Unfortunately, it is not uncommon for cars to have multiple things wrong with them. In fact, The Car Connection reported recently that there were separate problems with Santa Fe sports vehicles which led to multiple recalls. 

Santa Fe Sport Vehicles Subject to Recalls

According to the Car Connection, Hyundai was forced to recall 437,000 Santa Fe and Santa Fe Sport vehicles in early June of 2017 in order to resolve a problem with the cars that was potentially dangerous. The initial recall by Hyundai was prompted by a problem with the hood latch. The problems with the hood latch affected vehicle models from 2013 through 2017.

Just a day after the recall connected with the hood latch issues, Hyundai announced yet another recall. This recall was for the 2017 Santa Fe Sport vehicles. Some of these 2017 vehicles were already subject to the first recall, and now there was another problem to add to the list.  A total of 17,160 Santa Fe Sport Crossovers were affected by the second recall.

The second recall was entirely unrelated to the first one, as the second recall was prompted by a seat belt problem. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the issue prompting the second recall of the Hyundai Santa Fe Sport vehicles is that there is a bolt holding in the driver's seat belt anchor which may not have been tightened sufficiently during the assembly process. 

Because the bolt may not have been tightened enough, the driver's seat belt does not provide sufficient protection to the driver of the vehicle if the car is involved in a collision. There is an increased risk of a driver being hurt, or even killed, if a collision happens due to the fact the driver's seat belt will not be able to protect him. 

Drivers affected by the recall were expected to receive notices from Hyundai detailing the potential problem with the bolt and providing instructions on how to get repairs completed. Motorists who were also affected by the hood latch problem would have to deal with two separate repairs being performed on their new vehicles as a result of the fact the car was released to the market with multiple different problems.

This is not, unfortunately, an isolated incident. There are many drivers who have nothing but problems with their cars from the time those vehicles are purchased and driven off the lot. The law does provide some protection for consumers who end up with cars that cause them continual problems and that may not be safe to drive. 

Those who have a car they have problems with should consult with a Los Angeles lemon law attorney to determine if they have any legal remedies available to pursue.