Kia issues second recall for tow hitch harness’ fire

Kia issues second recall for tow hitch harness’ fire

October 1, 2022 Bojan Popic

Irvine, CA – October 1, 2022 – Kia (OTCMKTS:KIMTF) is recalling 70,887 SUVs that may catch fire while driving or parked. This increases the risk of crash, injury or property damage.

This recall comes on the heels of another recent Kia recall for the same issue and includes the following models:

  • 2016 – 2022 Kia Sorento
  • 2021 – 2023 Kia Sorento Hybrid
  • 2022 – 2023 Kia Sorento Plug-In Hybrid (PHEV)
  • 2017 – 2022 Kia Sportage

Recall summary

This recall is very similar to the one from August, which affected certain Kia and Hyundai SUVs. Like in that previous recall, the issue is a defective tow hitch harness module. 

Due to moisture or “foreign material contamination”, the module’s circuit board can experience a short circuit, which can cause overheating or start a fire. Kia has reported at least three vehicle fires and 30 incidences of localized melting as a result of this issue.

The component causing this recall is the tow hitch harness with various part numbers depending on the model, including C6061 ADUS0, C6061 ADUSAQQK and D9061 ADUS6QQK. 

Recall risks

Vehicle fire carries several hazards. You can read more in the above-referenced  article about the earlier Kia and Hyundai fire recall. 

Safety tips

As with the previous recall, Kia advises owners to park their vehicles outside and away from structures until a remedy is available.

Other Kia recalls

Recent Kia Sorento recalls include one in June 2022 over exploding seat belt retractors. This issue has led to a U.S. government investigation that is currently underway.

In addition, some of the earlier Sorento and Sportage model-years are among the 3 million Kia and Hyundai vehicles at the center of another probe due to multiple non-crash related fires, as reported.

Repair

At this time, Kia is working on a solution and will inform vehicle owners when it becomes available. Once this happens, the repair will be free of charge. 

Notifications to vehicle owners will be sent between November 14, 2022, and November 18, 2022. 

Is your vehicle part of this recall?

More than 70,000 SUVs are being recalled over this Kia fire risk. To do a Kia recall check and see if yours is one of them, use MotorSafety’s free vehicle lookup tool. 

Bojan PopicKia issues second recall for tow hitch harness’ fire
Kia recalls minivans, SUVs over rollaway risk

Kia recalls minivans, SUVs over rollaway risk

August 20, 2022 Joseph Estabillo

Irvine, CA – August 20, 2022 – Kia (OTCMKTS:KIMTF) is issuing a recall for 28,065 vehicles whose automatic transmissions could be shifted out of Park unintentionally, causing the vehicle to roll away.

The recall covers the following models: 

  • 2016 Kia Sedona
  • 2016 Kia Sorento 

Recall summary

Automatic transmissions include a locking mechanism that keeps the gear shift lever in place. The driver has to press the brake pedal before shifting out of Park.

Due to a supplier error, the the affected vehicles have a faulty part in the locking mechanism. This could allow the shifter to be moved out of Park without the brake pedal being pressed, even when the ignition is off.

The component involved in this recall is the lever assembly ATM with part numbers 46700-A9100 and 46700-C5130.

Recall risks

If the driver or another vehicle occupant bumps or moves the gear shift lever, the vehicle may shift out of Park and roll away, increasing the risk of an accident and injury.

Safety tips

Drivers can reduce the risk of a rollaway by engaging the parking brake whenever the vehicle is in Park.

Other Kia recalls 

Other Kia Sedona recalls include one in November 2021 in which Kia recalled 88,576 Sedona minivans due to faulty turn signals.

Other Kia Sorento recalls include one in July 2022 for 2021 – 2022 Kia Sorento hybrids due to the risk of exploding seatbelts, as reported.

In May 2022, Hyundai and Kia recalled 19,743 Ioniq 5 and EV6 electric compact crossovers due to a software problem with the shifter control unit that could cause the transmission to shift away from Park mode accidentally, leading the vehicle to roll away.

The repair

Dealers will inspect vehicles and replace faulty locking mechanisms with ones manufactured to the correct specifications. The repairs will be done free of charge. Kia will reimburse owners who had related transmission issues fixed before the recall order was issued.

Affected owners will be notified on or around October 7, 2022. 

Is your vehicle part of this recall?

More than 28,000 vehicles are included in this Kia Sedona and Sorento transmission recall. To see if your vehicle is affected, run a Kia recall check using MotorSafety’s free vehicle lookup tool.  

Joseph EstabilloKia recalls minivans, SUVs over rollaway risk
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