Hyundai, Genesis recall nearly 300,000 vehicles over detaching seat belt anchors

Hyundai Motor America has issued a major recall affecting 294,128 vehicles in the U.S. due to a defect that can cause front seat belt anchors to detach during a fatal crash.

The default can cause a major risk of injury.

This recall, which falls under NHTSA campaign number 26V218000, affects some of the newest and best-selling models made by the company.

Models affected include the 2023 through 2025 Hyundai Ioniq 6, the 2024 through 2026 Hyundai Santa Fe and Santa Fe Hybrid, and the luxurious 2023 through 2026 Genesis G90.

The root cause of this issue, according to NHTSA, is a broken "snap-on anchor" that might not adequately fasten the driver and passenger seatbelts to the car seat frame.

During any kind of impact, if the anchor detaches, then it will fail to keep the passengers secure and make their seatbelts useless, resulting in serious injuries to the passengers.

In 2025, Hyundai first received a report of a potential issue. In the crash testing and investigation, the company identified that the defect didn’t cause any user error or improper assembly.

The new model of the snap-on anchor is expected to be incorporated into production by March 2026.

It should be noted that Hyundai knows about only six reports on faulty anchors in the United States, and there have been no accidents, injuries, or deaths associated with the problem yet.

Letters notifying owners about the defect will arrive on June 5, 2026. In addition, dealers will perform an inspection of seat belt anchors, strengthening them or replacing them without any payment from owners. The VIN number will help owners find out whether their vehicle is subject to recalls.