Image Credit: Hyundai.Hyundai is recalling nearly 48,000 Kona and Kona Electric SUVs in the United States over a potentially defective seatbelt buckle. The problem affects the rear center seating position and could prevent the seatbelt from properly restraining an occupant during a crash.According to documents filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the recall covers 47,749 vehicles in total. The overwhelming majority are 2026 Hyundai Kona models, although a small number of 2025 Kona Electric SUVs are also included.The issue is serious enough that Hyundai is advising owners not to allow passengers to use the rear center seat until the necessary repair has been completed. There is reportedly no warning or obvious indication that a vehicle has one of the potentially defective buckles.AdvertisementAdvertisementOwners will eventually be asked to bring affected vehicles to a Hyundai dealership, where the rear center seatbelt buckle will be replaced. The repair will be performed at no cost to owners.Almost Every Recalled Vehicle Is A 2026 KonaThe recall population consists of 47,733 examples of the 2026 Hyundai Kona and just 16 examples of the 2025 Kona Electric. Combined, that brings the total number of potentially affected vehicles to 47,749.The defect involves the rear center seatbelt buckle and traces back to the manufacturing process. According to the recall documentation, certain buckles may have been produced outside normal specifications because of an improperly maintained stamping die used by a supplier.Wear caused by overuse of the tooling reportedly allowed parts to deviate from the intended production specifications. The problem was compounded by insufficient inspection, potentially allowing defective components to make their way into finished vehicles.AdvertisementAdvertisementHyundai says improvements to the supplier's die-maintenance inspection standards were implemented in January 2026. Those changes were intended to prevent the manufacturing issue from continuing.Owners Should Avoid Using The Rear Center SeatPhoto Courtesy: Hyundai.The primary concern is that an affected seatbelt buckle may not properly restrain a passenger during a collision. Since seatbelts are a critical part of a vehicle's occupant-protection system, a failure during a crash could increase the risk of injury.Hyundai also says there is no advance warning that would allow an owner to identify a defective buckle before a failure occurs. For that reason, the automaker is advising owners of affected vehicles to leave the rear center seating position unoccupied until the recall repair has been performed.The other rear seating positions are not identified as part of this specific buckle issue. Owners should still confirm whether their individual Kona or Kona Electric is included in the recall rather than relying solely on model year.Hyundai Will Replace The Faulty BucklesHyundai plans to notify affected owners and dealers by September 11, 2026. Once the recall campaign is underway, owners will be instructed to take their vehicle to an authorized Hyundai dealership.AdvertisementAdvertisementDealer technicians will replace the potentially defective rear center seatbelt buckle with an updated component, with the work performed free of charge. Owners who do not want to wait for the mailed notification can check their vehicle identification number through the NHTSA recall database to determine whether their Kona is affected.With almost 48,000 vehicles involved and a potential impact on passenger restraint during a collision, this is one recall Kona owners shouldn't ignore. Until the repair is completed, Hyundai's guidance is straightforward: keep the rear center seat empty.If you want more stories like this, follow Guessing Headlights on Yahoo so you don't miss what's coming next.