Vehicle Recall: Kia Rio, Optima & Optima Hybrid Sedans

Estimated reading time: five (5) minutes.

US/Washington: As of Thursday, August 31, 2023, the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (“NHTSA”), a division of the US Department of Transportation, has posted a total of eighty-seven (87) vehicle, tire, accessory or other automotive-related product recalls this month. Are yours listed? http://ht.ly/cXy430qH5Ln

Direct link: https://www.nhtsa.gov/search/safety-issues#recall

Additional information:
Among the eighty-seven (87) recalls the NHTSA has announced in August comes news of the following:

Kia Motors America (“Kia”), an Irvine, California establishment and a subsidiary of Kia Motors Corporation of Seoul, South Korea, has recalled an estimated 319,436 model year 2016-2017 Kia Rio Sedans, 2016-2018 Kia Optima Sedans, 2017-2018 Kia Optima Hybrid Sedans and Kia Optima Plug-in Hybrid Sedans marketed, sold and delivered in the United States.

Recall Category: Latches/Locks/Linkages – Trunk Emergency Release may fail in apparent contravention of US FMVSS 401

NHTSA Safety Notification 23V594000 reports the Trunk Latch Base may crack, preventing the opening of the Trunk from the inside. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 401, “Internal Trunk Release”.

According to the NHTSA, a person inside the Trunk Compartment may become trapped, increasing their risk of serious injury and/or life-changing results particularly in the event of crash, motor vehicle collision (“MVC”) or other impact event.

==> If you have a medical emergency, please contact 9-1-1, your closest hospital or emergency center equipped to properly treat lacerations, concussions, bone fractures, amputation, central nervous system (“CNS”) damage and/or internal injuries.

---

---

Proposed Remedy:
Authorized Kia Dealers will replace the Trunk Latch Base subassembly, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed October 19, 2023. Owners may contact Kia Customer Service toll-free at 1-800-333-4542 during normal business hours, Monday to Friday, Pacific Standard Time (“PST”) for more information. Kia’s designation for this recall is SC278.

Owners of the recalled vehicles may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety (“NHTSA”) Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or visit the NHTSA’s Web site at http://www.nhtsa.gov.

==> To see other recalls and notifications for vehicles manufactured, marketed and/or sold by Kia Motors America, please search for “Kia” using the Search Box at the top of this page.

==> To see other recalls and notifications for vehicles manufactured, marketed and/or sold under the Kia Rio model, please search for “Rio” using the Search Box at the top of this page.

==> To see other recalls and notifications for vehicles manufactured, marketed and/or sold under the Kia Optima model, please search for “Optima” using the Search Box at the top of this page.

==> To see other recalls and notifications relating to Crash hazards, please search for “crash” using the Search Box at the top of this page.

==> To see other recalls and notifications relating to Fire hazards, please search for “fire” using the Search Box at the top of this page.

==> To see other recalls and notifications relating to Amputation hazards, please search for “amputation” using the Search Box at the top of this page.

==> To see other recalls and notifications relating to Bone Fracture hazards, please search for “fracture” using the Search Box at the top of this page.

==> To see other recalls and notifications relating to Burn hazards, please search for “burn” using the Search Box at the top of this page.

==> To see other recalls and notifications relating to Concussion hazards, please search for “concussion” using the Search Box at the top of this page.

==> To see other recalls and notifications relating to Laceration hazards, please search for “laceration” using the Search Box at the top of this page.

==> To see other recalls and notifications relating to Injury hazards, please search for “injury” using the Search Box at the top of this page.

==> To see other recalls and notifications relating to Central Nervous System (“CNS”) damage, please search for “central nervous system (“CNS”) damage” using the Search Box at the top of this page.

==> You can use the NHTSA’s VIN Look-up Tool to determine if your specific vehicle is affected by this or other recent recall (major light vehicles only): https://www.nhtsa.gov/recalls

Don’t miss a recall, warning or alert!
==> Get these notifications sent to you automatically! To subscribe to our free Auto-Alert™ service, just use the sign-up box in the upper left-hand corner of this page. Don’t worry, we won’t sell your name or contact details and you can cancel anytime. No problem!

___________________________________________________________

More information about this recall:
NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V594000
Recalls Direct RIN: 17510-2023
Want to read more about this recall?
==> Please click on the links above to visit the originating site.
Want to read more about other recalls?
==> Please click on the links below.

General information:
More recalls? Back to the main Recalls Direct page:
==> http://www.RecallsDirect.com/
About the Recalls Direct service:
==> http://wp.me/P2bVty-2
Visit the Living Safely site:
==> http://www.LivingSafely.org/
Report an unsafe vehicle you purchased in the United States to the NHTSA [external: new window opens]:
==> https://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/VehicleComplaint/
Search for a recalled vehicle on the US NHTSA Web site [external: new window opens]:
==> https://www.nhtsa.gov/recalls

We welcome your feedback:
Want to e-mail or share this recall?
==> Simply use the “Share this” options below.
Is this recall relevant to you? Please let us know!
==> Click on the “Like” button below.
E. & O. E.

___________________________________________________________