Kia is recalling some 410,000 vehicles due to an airbag-related problem. Though rather than being potentially explosive, they may be duds, and not deploy at all in the even of the crash. Of the vehicles affected, just over 58,000 are in Canada.
The NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration), the equivalent of Transport Canada, explains in a document released this week that in certain Sedona, Soul, Soul EV, Forte (2017-2018) and Forte Koup (2017-2019) models, the cover of the airbag control unit may come into contact with a memory chip on the circuit board and damage the electrical circuit. Damage to that circuit can cause the airbags to deactivate, preventing them from deploying when needed.
Kia says the problem first appeared last July in Korea. The company received 13 customer complaints and 947 warranty claims. Fortunately, no accidents or injuries were reported.
As part of the recall, dealers will need to inspect the airbag control unit. They will then either update the software or replace the unit, depending on the situation. Of course, the work will be done at no cost to consumers.
Owners will be notified by mail starting March 21.
We contacted Kia Canada to find out how many models are affected in Canada. The recall impacts 58,053 units in Canada, including 24,737 Souls, 18,649 Fortes, 12,909 Sedonas, 1,729 Soul EVs and 29 Forte Koups.