The defect
Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2010-2013 Kia Forte, Forte Koup, 2011-2013 Kia Optima and 2011-2012 Kia Optima Hybrid and Sedona vehicles. In the event of a crash, the air bag control unit (ACU) may short circuit, preventing the frontal air bags and seat belt pretensioners from deploying.
The risk
If the frontal air bags and seat belt pretensioners are disabled, there is an increased risk of injury to the vehicle occupants in the event of a vehicle crash that necessitates deployment of these safety systems.
The remedy
Kia will notify owners. For model year 2011 Sedona vehicles, Kia will instruct dealers to verify the ACU part number and, if necessary, install an extension wire harness kit between the ACU Connector and the Vehicle Harness Connector. For all other affected vehicles, Kia will instruct dealers to install the extension wire harness kit. The recall began September 28, 2018. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC165.
NHTSA's own wording · initiated by ODI
Vehicles covered
| Model | Model years |
|---|---|
| Kia Forte | 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 |
| Kia Forte Koup | 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 |
| Kia Optima | 2011, 2012, 2013 |
| Kia Optima Hybrid | 2011, 2012 |
| Kia Sedona | 2011, 2012 |
Components: AIR BAGS: AIR BAG/RESTRAINT CONTROL MODULE
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 Forte | 2010 | 221 | 3 |
| Kia Forte | 2011 | 154 | 3 |
| Kia Forte | 2012 | 292 | 4 |
| Kia Forte | 2013 | 195 | 5 |
| Kia Forte Koup | 2010 | 11 | 2 |
| Kia Forte Koup | 2011 | 8 | 2 |
| Kia Forte Koup | 2012 | 14 | 4 |
| Kia Forte Koup | 2013 | 16 | 4 |
| Kia Optima | 2011 | 594 | 5 |
| Kia Optima | 2012 | 920 | 5 |
| Kia Optima | 2013 | 1,386 | 9 |
| Kia Optima Hybrid | 2011 | 34 | 3 |
| Kia Optima Hybrid | 2012 | 109 | 3 |
| Kia Sedona | 2011 | 65 | 6 |
| Kia Sedona | 2012 | 108 | 5 |
Other air bags recalls in 2018
85 of the 912 recall campaigns reported to NHTSA in 2018 concerned the air bags; Kia Motors America filed 82 campaigns in all.
| 18V912000 19 Dec 2018 | Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC. |
| 18V905000 19 Dec 2018 | Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC. |
| 18V887000 13 Dec 2018 | Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing |
| 18V883000 12 Dec 2018 | Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing |
| 18V868000 6 Dec 2018 | General Motors LLC |
| 18V838000 27 Nov 2018 | Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC. |
| 18V836000 27 Nov 2018 | Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. |
| 18V806000 14 Nov 2018 | Ford Motor Company |
NHTSA recalls (public domain) · all recalls of 2018