Over 400,000 Kia Vehicles Recalled Over Airbag Failure Defect

A recall has been issued for certain Kia Soul, Sedona and Forte vehicles over airbag problems, which may cause the life-saving safety feature to fail to deploy during a crash.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced the Kia recall on January 25, impacting more than 410,000 vehicles, which may experience an electrical problem with the airbag control unit that causes airbags to fail to deploy during an auto accident.

The action was taken after nearly 1,000 warranty claims and dozens of consumer complaints. However, no injuries have been reported in connection with the airbag failure defect.

According to the manufacturer, the cover of the airbag control unit may come in contact with a chip on the air bag control unit’s printed circuit board. This could damage the electrical circuit causing the vehicle’s airbags to deactivate and not deploy in a crash, which may lead to serious injuries to passengers.

Drivers of these vehicles may notice the airbag warning light is illuminated on the gauge cluster located behind the steering wheel. The problem was first reported in South Korea in July 2021. There have been 13 customer complaints and 947 warranty claims since then, according to documentation provided by Kia.

The recall includes 2017-2019 model year Kia Sedona minivans manufactured between July 12, 106 and January 10, 2019; 2017-2019 Soul hybrid electric vehicles manufactured between Jul 25, 2015 and December 24, 2018; Soul EV hybrid electric hatchbacks manufactured between May 18, 2017 and September 28, 2018; and 2017-2018 Forte sedans manufactured between March 2, 2017 and July 27, 2018; and 2017 Forte Koups manufactured on October 4, 2016.

Owners of affected vehicles will be notified by first class mail and instructed to bring their vehicle to a Kia dealer, who will either replace the Airbag Control Unit or update the Airbag Control Unit’s software free of charge.

Kia plans to begin notifying owners of the affected vehicles of the recall beginning March 21, 2022. Owners can also contact Kia customer service at 800-333-4542 using campaign number SC226 with questions regarding the recall.

To check to see if your vehicle is involved in this recall or any other recall, check the NHTSA’s website and use your 17-digit vehicle identification number.

Kia Vehicle Fire Problems

Kia vehicles have been plagued by recall issues in recent years after thousands of reports of car fires. An investigative report published last year warned that Kia and Hyundai vehicles continue to burst into flames from engine fires despite massive recalls and hundreds of millions of dollars in settlements.

The vehicle fire problem stems from faulty oil pans, catalytic converters, fuel leaks, oil leaks, and other problems that increased the risk of a vehicle fire. This has led to the recall of more than 600,000 Kia and Hyundai vehicles and $210 million in settlements.