Kia Motors America: Power Train › Automatic Transmission
Kia Motors America reported this defect to federal regulators on Oct 6, 2015 and put the number of vehicles at risk at 377,062. The repair is free for as long as the recall stands.
The defect
Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain model year 2011-2013 Kia Sorento vehicles manufactured October 19, 2009, to January 31, 2013. In the affected vehicles, if excessive force is applied to the gear shift lever, the brake-shift interlock mechanism may chip or crack allowing the transmission being able to be shifted out of "Park" without the brakes being depressed. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 114, "Theft Protection."
The risk
Without requiring the brake to be pressed, the vehicle may be unintentionally shifted out of Park, allowing it to roll, which may result in a crash.
The remedy
Kia will notify owners, and dealers will replace the brake-shift interlock mechanism, free of charge. The recall began on November 9, 2015. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC124.
3 model years covered
Newest first| Vehicle | Complaints | Recalls | Fires | Crashes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 Kia Sorento | 983 | 5 | 44 | 23 |
| 2012 Kia Sorento | 880 | 5 | 77 | 21 |
| 2011 Kia Sorento | 1,520 | 8 | 63 | 42 |
What this page is, and what to do next
A recall is not an opinion. It is a Part 573 report a manufacturer is required by federal law to file once it decides a defect poses an unreasonable risk to safety, and it commits them to repairing the vehicle at no cost to the owner. The three passages above are the manufacturer’s own wording as published by NHTSA.
This page describes the campaign. It cannot tell you whether one particular car has already been through the shop — that is tracked by VIN, and only the manufacturer knows it. Check yours at nhtsa.gov/recalls or with a franchised dealer, quoting campaign number 15V626000.
Full record for the 2013 Kia Sorento → · Recalls carrying a do-not-drive advisory → · Where this data comes from →