Car Recall Tracker

Home › Hyundai › Kona › 26V452000

Hyundai Kona rear center seat belt buckle may fail

NHTSA campaign 26V452000 · Reported 2026-07-14 · Hyundai Motor America

high How serious is it? About this label

Serious for anyone riding in the middle rear seat, and the notice says to leave that seat empty until it is repaired, though it does not tell owners to stop driving the vehicle.

What's wrong, in plain English

Hyundai found that the seat belt buckle for the middle rear seat may not hold a passenger properly in a crash. Someone belted into that center spot might not be restrained the way the belt is supposed to restrain them, so they could be hurt more badly in a collision. Hyundai is telling owners that nobody should sit in the rear center seat until the fix is done. A dealer will replace the buckle assembly at no charge.

What you should do

1. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to confirm your Kona or Kona Electric is included. 2. Until the repair is done, keep the rear center seat unused. 3. Call your Hyundai dealer, or Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460 (recall 306), and book the free buckle replacement.

Affected vehicles (4)

Who to contact

Hyundai — official Hyundai recall lookup

Customer service: 1-855-371-9460

Any franchised dealer for the brand can do the repair. Phone numbers are taken from manufacturer sites and recent NHTSA notices; if one has changed, the number in your own recall letter is the one to use.

The bigger picture

Official notice

Component
SEAT BELTS: REAR/OTHER:BUCKLE ASSEMBLY
Summary
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2024-2025 Kona Electric and 2024-2026 Kona vehicles. The seat belt buckle in the rear center seat may fail to properly restrain an occupant during a crash.
Safety risk
A seat belt buckle that fails to properly restrain an occupant in a crash increases the risk of injury.
Remedy
Passengers are advised not to use the rear center seat until the recall remedy is performed. Dealers will replace the seat belt buckle assembly, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed September 2, 2026. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 306. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on July 15, 2026.

Verify your specific vehicle by VIN at nhtsa.gov. Recall repairs are free of charge by law.