Kia Motors America: Trailer Hitches
Kia Motors America reported this defect to federal regulators on Nov 30, 2016 and put the number of vehicles at risk at 10,212. The repair is free for as long as the recall stands.
The defect
Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 Sorento vehicles manufactured October 27, 2014, to August 25, 2016, and 2017 Sportage vehicles manufactured December 10, 2015, to August 26, 2016. The affected vehicles are equipped with an accessory trailer hitch wiring harness that, due to a malfunction of the tow hitch module, may result in the trailer brake lights being constantly illuminated. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 108, " Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."
The risk
If the trailer brake lights stay illuminated while being used, other drivers may be confused, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Kia will notify owners, and dealers will replace the trailer tow hitch harness, free of charge. The recall began January 18, 2017. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC142.
3 model years covered
Newest first| Vehicle | Complaints | Recalls | Fires | Crashes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 Kia Sorento | 808 | 4 | 32 | 13 |
| 2017 Kia Sportage | 404 | 4 | 28 | 14 |
| 2016 Kia Sorento | 1,262 | 8 | 50 | 29 |
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 16V862000.
Full record for the 2017 Kia Sorento → · Recalls carrying a do-not-drive advisory → · Where this data comes from →