Kia Motors America: Air Bags › Air Bag/Restraint Control Module
Kia Motors America reported this defect to federal regulators on Jun 1, 2018 and put the number of vehicles at risk at 507,587. The repair is free for as long as the recall stands.
The defect
Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2010-2013 Kia Forte, Forte Koup, 2011-2013 Kia Optima and 2011-2012 Kia Optima Hybrid and Sedona vehicles. In the event of a crash, the air bag control unit (ACU) may short circuit, preventing the frontal air bags and seat belt pretensioners from deploying.
The risk
If the frontal air bags and seat belt pretensioners are disabled, there is an increased risk of injury to the vehicle occupants in the event of a vehicle crash that necessitates deployment of these safety systems.
The remedy
Kia will notify owners. For model year 2011 Sedona vehicles, Kia will instruct dealers to verify the ACU part number and, if necessary, install an extension wire harness kit between the ACU Connector and the Vehicle Harness Connector. For all other affected vehicles, Kia will instruct dealers to install the extension wire harness kit. The recall began September 28, 2018. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC165.
15 model years covered
Newest first| Vehicle | Complaints | Recalls | Fires | Crashes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 Kia Forte | 195 | 5 | 13 | 16 |
| 2013 Kia Forte Koup | 16 | 4 | 1 | 1 |
| 2013 Kia Optima | 1,387 | 9 | 114 | 48 |
| 2012 Kia Forte | 292 | 4 | 23 | 20 |
| 2012 Kia Forte Koup | 14 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 2012 Kia Optima | 920 | 5 | 77 | 25 |
| 2012 Kia Optima Hybrid | 109 | 3 | 5 | 5 |
| 2012 Kia Sedona | 108 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| 2011 Kia Forte | 154 | 3 | 13 | 28 |
| 2011 Kia Forte Koup | 8 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2011 Kia Optima | 594 | 5 | 33 | 23 |
| 2011 Kia Optima Hybrid | 34 | 3 | 2 | 2 |
| 2011 Kia Sedona | 65 | 6 | 1 | 3 |
| 2010 Kia Forte | 221 | 3 | 4 | 21 |
| 2010 Kia Forte Koup | 11 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
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 18V363000.
Full record for the 2013 Kia Forte → · Recalls carrying a do-not-drive advisory → · Where this data comes from →