Photo: Kia
On November 17th, engineers at Kia’s research & development center attended a 2023 Sportage compliance test conducted by the NHTSA's Vehicle Safety Compliance organization. Said test concluded with the improper deployment of a side curtain airbag, which prompted Kia R&D to inform the Safety Office within Kia North America of the worrying result.
The safety boffins couldn’t identify any field cases involving a similar deployment. But nevertheless, Kia North America decided to recall in the ballpark of 77,000 units of the 2023 Sportage as a precautionary measure.
“A worker error” is to blame for this concern. “The side curtain airbags may have been assembled with a twisted condition during vehicle assembly at the Kia Georgia plant.” The suspect airbag modules are listed under part numbers 80410-DW000 and 80420-DW000. This problem was corrected in production with the rollout of extra inspection and verification processes on November 17th. Known owners of subject vehicles will be notified by first-class mail on December 28th at the latest with instructions to bring their brand-new Sportages to the nearest Kia dealership for repair.
Dealers have already been instructed to inspect the side curtain airbag’s assembly condition. If necessary, dealer techs will reinstall the airbags correctly, thus ensuring proper deployment in the event of a crash. Kia believes that one percent of the 76,918 recalled vehicles exhibit this issue.
Their build dates range from January 12th, 2022 to November 17th, 2022. The South Korean automaker hasn’t mentioned which engine options or trim levels are affected. The VIN range hasn’t been publicly shared either.
Redesigned from the ground up for the 2023 model year, the compact-sized Kia Sportage is – as ever – twinned with the Hyundai Tucson. Based on the Hyundai-Kia N3 platform, this crossover slots between the $22,840 Seltos and $29,990 Sorento. Currently priced from $25,990 for the combustion-only version, the Sportage is available as a hybrid from $27,290 and as a plug-in hybrid from $38,490 sans the destination charge.
“A worker error” is to blame for this concern. “The side curtain airbags may have been assembled with a twisted condition during vehicle assembly at the Kia Georgia plant.” The suspect airbag modules are listed under part numbers 80410-DW000 and 80420-DW000. This problem was corrected in production with the rollout of extra inspection and verification processes on November 17th. Known owners of subject vehicles will be notified by first-class mail on December 28th at the latest with instructions to bring their brand-new Sportages to the nearest Kia dealership for repair.
Dealers have already been instructed to inspect the side curtain airbag’s assembly condition. If necessary, dealer techs will reinstall the airbags correctly, thus ensuring proper deployment in the event of a crash. Kia believes that one percent of the 76,918 recalled vehicles exhibit this issue.
Their build dates range from January 12th, 2022 to November 17th, 2022. The South Korean automaker hasn’t mentioned which engine options or trim levels are affected. The VIN range hasn’t been publicly shared either.
Redesigned from the ground up for the 2023 model year, the compact-sized Kia Sportage is – as ever – twinned with the Hyundai Tucson. Based on the Hyundai-Kia N3 platform, this crossover slots between the $22,840 Seltos and $29,990 Sorento. Currently priced from $25,990 for the combustion-only version, the Sportage is available as a hybrid from $27,290 and as a plug-in hybrid from $38,490 sans the destination charge.
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