Hyundai Recalls 37,901 Kona Electric and Veloster N Models
Hyundai Motor America is recalling 37,901 vehicles because corrupted data in the airbag control unit can deactivate the airbags and seat-belt pretensioners. The campaign covers certain 2019-2023 Kona Electric SUVs and 2019-2022 Veloster N hatchbacks sold in the United States.
The recall is identified as NHTSA campaign 26V728 and Hyundai campaign 311. Hyundai submitted its Part 573 report on November 2, 2026, and affected VINs became searchable on November 6.
Which Hyundai vehicles are included?
| Model | Model years | Potentially affected | Production dates |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hyundai Kona Electric | 2019-2023 | 29,058 | Aug. 28, 2018-July 26, 2023 |
| Hyundai Veloster N | 2019-2022 | 8,843 | Sept. 6, 2018-Aug. 18, 2022 |
Both populations were assembled by Hyundai Motor Company in South Korea for the U.S. market. NHTSA’s report estimates that 1 percent of the recalled population has the defect, but every vehicle included in the campaign is eligible for the remedy.
How the airbag software can fail
The airbag control unit, or ACU, monitors crash signals and commands the airbags and seat-belt pretensioners to deploy. Hyundai says a system reboot or power interruption can occur while the unit writes data to its internal memory. That interruption may corrupt the data, illuminate the airbag warning light and deactivate the restraint system.
If the system is inactive during a crash, the airbags and pretensioners may not deploy, increasing the risk of occupant injury. The airbag malfunction indicator is the warning Hyundai identifies for drivers.
Hyundai reports 331 incidents, but no injuries
Hyundai opened its North American investigation in August 2024 after seeing an increase in warranty claims involving airbag warning lights. Engineers and supplier ZF analyzed recovered control units and carried out electrical-stress, bench and vehicle-level testing over the following two years.
By the October 22, 2026 recall decision, Hyundai had identified 331 unique U.S. incidents reported between October 3, 2019 and September 24, 2026. The company told NHTSA it was not aware of any related crashes, fires or injuries.
The repair is a dealer software update
Hyundai dealers will update the ACU software free of charge, regardless of whether a vehicle remains under the new-vehicle warranty. The revised software preserves the last known valid data when a transfer is interrupted instead of allowing the stored information to become corrupted.
Hyundai’s filing schedules dealer and owner notification for January 1, 2027. Owners do not need to wait for the mailed letter to check their vehicle: they can enter the 17-character VIN in Hyundai’s recall lookup or NHTSA’s recall database. Hyundai lists 1-855-371-9460 for campaign questions.
What owners should do now
- Check the VIN rather than assuming every vehicle from the listed model years is included.
- If the airbag warning light is illuminated, contact a Hyundai dealer promptly and ask whether campaign 311 applies.
- Schedule the software update when the dealer confirms parts and service availability; the repair is free.
- Keep the repair invoice or campaign-completion record with the vehicle’s service history.
Chiefs Review recently covered NHTSA’s effort to expand registration-based recall alerts, but VIN checks remain the most direct way to determine whether a specific vehicle has an open campaign.
Featured image: a 2022 Hyundai Kona Electric, one of the model years included in this recall; the pictured vehicle’s recall status is unknown. Photo by DestinationFearFan, via Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. No changes were made.
