The Recall Desk
HighNHTSA·21V185000·Announced 2021-03-17

2021 Hyundai Santa Fe Air Bag Child Detection System Defect

2021 Hyundai Santa Fe vehicles have a defective Occupant Detection System that may fail to prevent air bag deployment when a child restraint is detected in the front passenger seat, increasing crash injury risk.

What this means for you

Real risk of harm even if no illness or injury has been reported yet. Stop using the product and follow the agency's guidance.

Our severity reasoning: This is a safety-critical air bag system defect where the Occupant Detection System fails to properly detect child restraints, creating a risk of air bag deployment during a crash. While no injuries have been reported, the defect involves protection of child occupants, a risk-of-harm scenario per the rubric.

Plain-English summary

Hyundai Motor America is recalling certain 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe vehicles due to a defect in the Occupant Detection System (ODS) module. The ODS module may fail to deactivate the front passenger air bag when a child restraint system is detected in that seat.

In a crash, if the air bag deploys while a child in a car seat is in the front passenger seat, the force of deployment can increase the risk of injury to the child. The vehicles do not comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 208, which governs occupant crash protection.

Hyundai has already remedied all affected vehicles as of May 12, 2021. Owners who believe their vehicle is affected should contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Alternatively, they can contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 or visit www.safercar.gov.

The recalled product

Product
HYUNDAI SANTA FE
Brand
HYUNDAI
Manufacturer
Hyundai Motor America
Category
Vehicle — Air Bag System
Hazard
Affected units
10

Is your product affected?

Check your packaging against the codes below. If any of them match, the product is part of this recall.

Model numbers (1)

  • SANTA FE

Distribution

Distributed nationwide across the United States.

Related recalls

Same brand · HYUNDAI

Same manufacturer · Hyundai Motor America

See all →

Same hazard · occupant detection failure

See all →