Irvine, Calif. — Apr. 04, 2017 — Kia Motors America identified a motor connector issue that could hurt steering in 135 2017 Niro vehicles. Though only 1 percent of this group is thought to have the defect, Kia still asserted that the problem could put vehicle occupants at risk.
The Defect
According to the Part 573 Safety Recall Report, the problem may stem from issues with the affected vehicles’ power steering systems. The defect traces back to assembly faults that may have damaged the motor connectors. This won’t disable steering entirely but could affect power steering, making it more difficult to drive normally.
Owners can look for an electronic power steering warning light as a possible sign that the defect is there. The vehicle production dates ranged from Dec. 23, 2016 to Jan. 11, 2017.
Timeline of Events
- December, 2016: A single supplier assembly line inspection prompted a larger inspection, which didn’t discover any other subsequent examples, according to the official chronology.
- January, 2017: After hearing of the vehicle issues, Kia investigated affected vehicles, began repairing them and started monitoring the resultant data.
- February, 2017: The manufacturer went on to discover further related reports, with the American branch of Kia responding to requests from the main business, despite there being no reports of accidents or injuries.
- March, 2017: Kia decided to conduct a recall and submitted a report to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
The Resolution
The report said that the company stopped producing vehicles with the defect as of Dec. 23, 2016. Still, the report said that dealer notification is still on the horizon, planned for April 4, 2017. Dealer notification is set to follow just three days after. The fix will have dealers replacing the faulty motor with a new, intact connector that doesn’t have the same damage.
