USAHyundai is recalling 47,749 Kona and Kona Electric SUVs in the United States over a rear center seat belt buckle that may fail to restrain a passenger in a crash, raising the risk of injury.
The recall covers 47,733 examples of the 2026 model year Kona and 16 examples of the 2025 model year Kona Electric. Hyundai traces the defect to a supplier that built the seat belt buckle for the rear center position outside its manufacturing specifications, after insufficient monitoring of the stamping equipment used to form the part. The result is a buckle that may not latch securely enough to hold an occupant in place during a collision.
Hyundai says it has not received any reports of crashes or injuries linked to the defect. In the meantime, the automaker is telling owners of affected vehicles not to use the rear center seating position until the repair is complete.
Dealers will replace the faulty buckle free of charge. Hyundai plans to begin mailing owner notifications on September 11, 2026; owners can check whether their vehicle is affected through NHTSA in the meantime.
The Kona is Hyundai’s subcompact crossover, sold alongside a battery-electric Kona Electric variant built on the same body. Both versions share the rear seat hardware named in this recall.
The current second-generation Hyundai Kona is a subcompact SUV sold with three separate powertrains: a turbocharged petrol engine, a 1.6-litre full hybrid, and the battery-electric Kona Electric. There is no current Kona N; the last performance N version was dropped when this generation launched. UK pricing runs from GBP 27,270 (~$34,600) for the petrol to GBP 34,995 (~$44,400) for the Kona Electric.
