SAN ANTONIO – The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced that Kia is recalling 80,255 vehicles due to safety concerns.
A statement from the NHTSA reported that certain models of the Kia Niro are being recalled because their airbags are not being deployed correctly.
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The defect is due to a problem with the floor wiring assembly. The statement said repeated sliding adjustments to the passenger seat may damage this wiring.
As a result, it can cause airbags to not deploy in a crash where airbags are needed, the seatbelt pretensior to stop working, inadvertent deployment of the passenger side airbag and the inability to suppress the passenger frontal airbag for a child or smaller occupant.
The following Kia models are affected:
- Niro EVs manufactured from Aug. 2022 to Dec. 2024
- Niro Plug-in Hybrids manufactured from July 2022 to Dec. 2024
- Niro Hybrids manufactured from Jun. 2022 to Dec. 2024.
According to the statement, Kia plans to send letters to affected owners from Jan. 17 to Mar. 14. If necessary, Kia dealers will reroute the floor wiring assembly and add extra coverings to prevent damage to the wiring.
Any expenses already incurred will be reimbursed to the owners per the company’s General Reimbursement Plan.
