The defect
Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain model year 2008-2009 Kia Sportage vehicles manufactured August 9, 2007, to May 13, 2009. The wire harness cover on the Hydraulic Electronic Control Unit (HECU) may be improperly sealed allowing water to get onto the HECU circuit board. If the water is contaminated with salt, such as could occur from melted snow, the wire harness connector pins may corrode and the circuit board may short circuit.
The risk
If the HECU short circuits, there is an increased risk of an engine compartment fire.
The remedy
Kia will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the connector pins for corrosion, if no corrosion is found, the connector cover will be replaced. If corrosion is present, the dealer will replace the HECU assembly and the connector cover, free of charge. The recall began on November 28, 2016. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC138.
NHTSA's own wording · initiated by MFR
Vehicles covered
| Model | Model years |
|---|---|
| Kia Sportage | 2008, 2009 |
Components: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING
Model years in this recall
NHTSA complaints and the number of recall campaigns for each model year this recall covers.
| Model | Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kia Sportage | 2008 | 98 | 3 |
| Kia Sportage | 2009 | 80 | 3 |
Other electrical system recalls in 2016
92 of the 919 recall campaigns reported to NHTSA in 2016 concerned the electrical system; Kia Motors America filed 82 campaigns in all.
| 16V936000 28 Dec 2016 | Maserati North America, Inc. |
| 16V938000 28 Dec 2016 | Navistar, Inc. |
| 16V951000 27 Dec 2016 | Kalmar Solutions, LLC |
| 16V950000 23 Dec 2016 | ARBOC Specialty Vehicles, LLC |
| 16V923000 22 Dec 2016 | Pierce Manufacturing |
| 16V920000 21 Dec 2016 | Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing |
| 16V915000 21 Dec 2016 | Bluecar SAS |
| 16V919000 21 Dec 2016 | BMW of North America, LLC |
NHTSA recalls (public domain) · all recalls of 2016