Nearly 77,000 2023 Kia Sportage vehicles recalled due to airbag defect
This is not the first time that Kia Sportage 2023 owners in the US have received a recall notice from the manufacturer, and the cause of this recall is said to be because the side curtain airbags may not have been properly assembled.
About 76,918 2023 Kia Sportage vehicles manufactured between January 12, 2022 and November 17, 2022 are being recalled in the US due to an airbag defect. It has been revealed that the side curtain airbags of this model may have twisted during the vehicle assembly process at the Kia Georgia plant.
The manufacturer said this was due to a worker error and as a result, the side curtain airbags may not deploy properly in a collision, increasing the risk of injury.
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The 2023 Kia Sportage is a popular small SUV crossover. |
Engineers from Kia's R&D Center attended a compliance test conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA) Office of Vehicle Safety Compliance on a 2023 Sportage on November 17. During the test, the driver's side curtain airbag failed to deploy properly.
Owners of affected vehicles will receive a notice sent by first-class mail with instructions to take their vehicle to a Kia dealer to have the side curtain airbags inspected and reinstalled if necessary. The repair will be done free of charge and any owners who have previously paid to have the problem fixed will be reimbursed.
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The vehicle was also previously recalled for a lug nut assembly defect. |
This isn't the first recall for the 2023 Kia Sportage. In August 2022, the Korean automaker recalled 19,701 vehicles manufactured between January 12, 2022, and August 8, 2022, because the battery terminal B+ nut may not have been properly tightened during assembly. This could result in it not loosening over time, potentially causing the engine to stall while driving. It could also cause a fire due to arcing at the B+ terminal./.
