NHTSA campaign 21V331000 · Part 573 safety recall report

Kia Motors America: Service Brakes, Hydraulic › Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip › Control Unit/Module

Kia Motors America reported this defect to federal regulators on May 10, 2021 and put the number of vehicles at risk at 440,370. The repair is free for as long as the recall stands.

The defect

Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2013-2015 Optima and 2014-2015 Sorento vehicles previously recalled under recall 20V-519. Brake fluid may leak inside the Hydraulic Electronic Control Unit (HECU), possibly resulting in an electrical short.

The risk

An electrical short in the HECU increases the risk of a fire while parked or driving.

The remedy

Owners are advised to park outside and away from other vehicles and structures until the recall repair is completed. Dealers will install a new multi-fuse, and inspect the HECU for leaks, replacing the HECU if necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on July 2, 2021. This recall supersedes previous NHTSA recall number 20V-519. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC212.

5 model years covered

Newest first
VehicleComplaintsRecallsFiresCrashes
2015 Kia Optima1,01047431
2015 Kia Sorento75531421
2014 Kia Optima59174320
2014 Kia Sorento98864623
2013 Kia Optima1,387911448

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 21V331000.

Full record for the 2015 Kia Optima → · Recalls carrying a do-not-drive advisory → · Where this data comes from →