Irvine, CA – September 1, 2021 – Kia Motors (OTCMKTS:KIMTF) is recalling 253,074 cars with truck latches whose interior emergency release may become faulty. This prevents the person inside the trunk from opening the trunk gate, which increases the risk of injury. Vehicles involved in this recall include:
- 2016 – 2018 Kia Forte
- 2018 – 2019 Kia Rio
Recall summary
On vehicles that are affected by this recall, including a 2017 Kia Rio, trunk latch may not be opened from the inside using the interior emergency release. This happens because of the damage to the internal components of the trunk latch which is caused by high temperature.
The affected components installed in Kia Forte have part numbers 81230-A7010 or 81230-A7030, while those in Kia Rio have part numbers 81230-H9011 and 81230-H9031.
Risks
A faulty trunk release would prevent the person closed inside the trunk from getting out of it, increasing the risk of injury or even death.
Warning signs
Owners may notice that the trunk sometimes fails to open or close.
Other Kia vehicle recalls
Among previous Kia Forte recalls, one that covers potential issues with the oil pump that may cause engine damage is the most recent.
There are no other Kia Rio recalls associated with the 2018 or 2019 model years.
As reported, thousands of Kia and Hyundai cars – including 2012-2015 Kia Forte sedans – have been subject to ongoing recalls due to fire risk.
The repair
Kia authorized dealers will replace the affected trunk latch assemblies with improved ones. Owners should receive their notifications by mail around October 5, 2021.
Is your vehicle a part of this recall?
This trunk latch recall includes more than 250,000 vehicles. To check if yours is part of this recall, please use MotorSafety’s free vehicle lookup tool.
