Irvine, CA – August 14, 2022 – Kia (OTCMKTS:KIMTF) is recalling 257,998 2012 – 2013 Kia Optima whose headliners  – the vehicles’ ceilings – may detach during a crash and hit the car occupants, increasing the risk of injury. 

Recall summary  

Headliners are plastic panels that are part of the interior trim. They serve two purposes. – One is to conceal the bare metal elements and wiring running above it, and the second is serve as a cushion in a crash.

In affected vehicles, headlines may not be sufficiently secured, allowing them to detach if a side curtain airbag deploys.

Recall risks

A piece of the interior trim that detaches during a crash and flies through the cabin may hit and injure the car occupants. 

Other Kia recalls

Both Kia and its parent company Hyundai are subject to an ongoing U.S. government investigation due to non-crash related fires, as reported.  The last Kia Optima recall due to this issue was in February, also as reported.

There were at least two Kia airbag recalls this year. In February, over 410,000 cars were recalled due to airbags potentially failing to deploy in a crash. In March, Kia Souls were recalled for the same reason, as reported.

Repair

Dealers will use an “industrial-grade adhesive tape” to secure the headliners in place. This repair is free of charge. 

Notifications to vehicle owners will be sent between September 26, 2022 and September 30, 2022. 

Is your vehicle part of this recall?

This Kia headliner plates’ recall affects more than 200,000 vehicles. To do a Kia recall check and see if yours is one of them, use MotorSafety’s free vehicle lookup tool.