Hyundai preliminary evaluation PE14023
Seat Belt Buckle Electrical Malfunction. NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation opened this preliminary evaluation about the air bags on 3 model years (2006–2008). Opened Jul 22, 2014, closed Dec 1, 2014 after 4 months without a recall. closed
What NHTSA says
Source: Office of Defects Investigation, as filedOn July 22, 2014 the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened a preliminary evaluation to further analyze allegations of seat belt pretensioner malfunctions on model year (MY) 2006-2008 Hyundai Sonata vehicles. ODI received 131 unique reports alleging a failure within the seat belt pretensioner system, which was typically preceded by SRS light illumination. ODI requested more information from Hyundai in order to understand the nature of the failure and how the airbag deployment algorithm, the seat belt pretensioners, and/or the airbag function may be affected. In response to ODI?s information request (IR), Hyundai submitted 764 unique consumer and field reports and 19,847 warranty claims related to a failure in the front seat belt buckle assembly potentially causing a malfunction of the seat belt pretensioners. In it's response, Hyundai advised that if the resistance specifications for the seat belt buckle pretensioner circuit, located in the seat belt stalk, exceed the nominal range, a diagnostic trouble code will be set and the SRS warning indicator lamp will illuminate. The presence of this stored code will not affect the ability of the SRS Control Module (SRSCM) to detect a collision and command deployment of the pretensioners and airbags, if warranted. In fact, the wiring harness connector may be unplugged from the seat belt buckle pretensioner, and the signal to deploy the pretensioner will still be commanded and recorded. MY 2006-2008 Sonata?s utilize a dual pretensioner system by incorporating pretensioners into both the driver and front passenger seat belt retractor and the seat belt buckle assembly. The retractor pretensioner is located inside the B-pillar and winds (pretensions) the seat belt webbing back into the retractor housing during a collision, helping to remove seat belt slack and restrain the upper torso and hips. In contrast, the buckle pretensioner is located within the stalk of the seat belt assembly and acts to supplement lower limb protection. Both pretensioners are controlled by the SRSCM but utilize separate wiring and connectors. The seat belt retractor pretensioner circuitry and operation is independent of the seat belt buckle pretensioner connector and circuitry. Hyundai produced analysis indicating that increased resistance in the seat belt pretensioner which occurs in vehicle service does not result in a loss of buckle pretensioner. Hyundai further advised that in the unlikely event that a seat belt buckle pretensioner may not deploy due to increased resistance, the retractor pretensioner would still activate. Hyundai advised that the subject vehicles maintain their 5 STAR NHTSA safety rating using the retractor based pretensioner only. ODI notes that MY 2009-10 Sonatas reverted back to a single pretensioner system, and do not utilize seat belt buckle pretensioners. Hyundai advised its intention to initiate a warranty extension program to address concerns with the seat belt buckle prentensioner faults in MY 2006-2008 Hyundai Sonata vehicles. This action will extend the warranty coverage for this issue for 15 years or 250,000 miles, whichever occurs first. Given Hyundai's action and the minimal safety consequence this issue presents, further use of agency resources does not appear to be warranted. Accordingly, this investigation is closed. The closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by NHTSA that a safety-related defect does not exist. The agency will monitor the issue and reserves the right to take further action if warranted by the circumstances. The ODI complaints cited above can be reviewed at http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/owners/SearchNHTSAID, se
A Preliminary Evaluation is the first formal stage: NHTSA has decided the complaints and other information it screened are worth a closer look, and asks the manufacturer for its own data on the condition. The summary is the agency’s own text from its investigation file, unedited; the opening and closing resumes with the full reasoning are on NHTSA’s site under this number.
What this means for an owner
Source: and what happens nextAn investigation is not a finding that a defect exists, and it puts no duty on anyone. NHTSA opens a Preliminary Evaluation when complaints and other reports suggest a condition worth asking the manufacturer about; it upgrades to an Engineering Analysis when the answers warrant testing; it closes either when it recommends a recall, when the manufacturer recalls on its own, or when no defect trend is found. The agency’s own goals are about four months for a petition, eight for a Preliminary Evaluation or a Recall Query and eighteen for an Engineering Analysis; many run longer.
This one closed without a recall. That means NHTSA found no defect trend it chose to act on at the time, or the manufacturer addressed the condition another way (a service campaign or a bulletin, which have their own pages). A closed file can be reopened if new reports arrive.
Model years it names
Source: as NHTSA filed themAlso named: 2006 Hyundai Sonata; 2007 Hyundai Sonata; 2008 Hyundai Sonata.
A vehicle page’s investigation list carries the same action; a name here is the scope NHTSA opened, not a list of affected VINs.
Common questions
Source: NHTSA Office of Defects InvestigationIs PE14023 a recall?
No. A preliminary evaluation is NHTSA asking questions, not a recall. A safety recall carries an NHTSA campaign number and a duty to repair for free; this one closed without one. Whether one particular vehicle has an open recall is a VIN question at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Is PE14023 still open?
No. It closed on Dec 1, 2014 without a recall.
Which vehicles does PE14023 cover?
NHTSA opened it on 3 model years: 2006 Hyundai Sonata, 2007 Hyundai Sonata, 2008 Hyundai Sonata. That is the scope of the inquiry, not a list of affected vehicles; a recall, if one follows, defines its own population by VIN.