Recalls
| Campaign | Manufacturer | Manufacturing date | Type | # of units affected | Date Owner notified Mfg | Recall Initiated by | Manufacturers of recalled vehicles/products | Report Recieved Date | Record Creation Date | Regulation Part Number | FMVSS Number | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AIR BAGS - FRONTAL | ||||||||||||||||
| 12V014000 | KIA MOTORS CORPORATION | from 09/29/2005 to 01/29/2008 | V (Vehicle) | 145755 | 03/01/2012 | MFR | KIA MOTORS CORPORATION | 01/17/2012 | 01/17/2012 | |||||||
| Defect Summary | Kia motors america, inc. (kia) is recalling certain model year 2006-2008 kia optima vehicles manufactured from september 29, 2005, through january 29, 2008, and model year 2007 and 2008 kia rondo vehicles manufactured from september 13, 2006, through march 21, 2008. the clock spring contact assembly for the driver's side air bag supplemental restraint system (srs) may become damaged through usage over time. if the clock spring contact assembly becomes damaged, the driver's air bag electrical circuit will experience a high resistance condition potentially causing the driver's air bag to not deploy. | |||||||||||||||
| Consequence Summary | If the clock spring develops high resistance, in the event of a crash, the drivers air bag will not deploy and will not be able to properly protect the driver, increasing the risk of injuries. | |||||||||||||||
| Corrective Summary | Kia will notify owners, and dealers will replace the vehicle's air bag clock spring contact assembly as necessary, free of charge. the safety recall is expected to begin during march 2012. owners may contact kia customer assistance center at 1-800-333-4542. | |||||||||||||||
| Notes | Kia's recall campaign number is sc094.owners may also contact the national highway traffic safety administration's vehicle safety hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (tty 1-800-424-9153), or go to http://www.safercar.gov . | |||||||||||||||
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| AIR BAGS | |||
| 10/26/2012 | 80000 | 1 | |
| I have already taken my optima to the dealer for this recall already and they fixed the recall the first time, but i took it again last week for the same thing and now they are telling me that i have to pay for a diagnostic fee so they can tell me what the problem is ? the problem is that the dealer wants to charge me for something that they know what it is and it is a defect and they want me to pay for it. this a recall and they need to fix it and not me pay for it.... *tr | |||
| 10/26/2012 | 80000 | ||
| I have already taken my kia optima to the dealer for this recall already and they fixed the recall the first time, but i took it again last week for the same thing and now they are telling me that i have to pay for a diognostic fee so they can tell me what the problem is ? the problem is that the dealer wants to charge me for something that they know what it is and it is a defect and they want me to pay for it. this a recall and they need to fix it and not me pay for it.... | |||
| 10/25/2012 | 130000 | 1 | |
| Air bag dash board light came on. before this the passenger sensor would be hit or miss. dealership says there is a short in the sensor in the passenger seat cushion and it needs to be replaced for $1400.00. it cost me $60 just for them to tell me about this problem. there are way too many other people having the same issue for this to be ok. *tr | |||
| 10/25/2012 | 130000 | ||
| Air bag dash board light came on. before this the passenger sensor would be hit or miss. dealership says there is a short in the sensor in the passenger seat cushion and it needs to be replaced for $1400.00. it cost me $60 just for them to tell me about this problem. there are way too many other people having the same issue for this to be ok. | |||
| 10/13/2010 | |||
| How many people must lose their lives in order for the government to issue a mandatory inspection of kia manufacturing plants regarding air bag failures. i own two kia vehicles and both of them have the main air bag light illuminated on the dash. a recent visit to the dealer added insult to injury when they indicated that it would cost $1500.00 to replace a passenger seat due to a internal short of the ocs/mat airbag system. this is not acceptable. my wife and daughter are driving vehicles with airbag failures from day one of purchase. kia must be standing in line for future lawsuits. | |||
| 12/28/2011 | 63000 | ||
| At 63,000 miles, the red airbag light came on and stayed illuminated. took it to the dealer, and they said the adult/child sensor needed to be replaced or neither front airbag would work. estimate was $1,600 prepaid. prior to this, no problem with airbag sensors in this vehicle. | |||
| 10/19/2011 | 40533 | ||
| Tl* the contact owns a 2007 kia optima. the contact stated the air bag warning light illuminated on the instrument panel. the manufacturer was notified, but denied any assistance with repairs to the vehicle. the dealer was not contacted and the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 40,533 and the current mileage was 40,353. | |||
| 10/19/2011 | 40533 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2007 kia optima. the contact stated the air bag warning light illuminated on the instrument panel. the manufacturer was notified, but denied any assistance with repairs to the vehicle. the dealer was not contacted and the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 40,533 and the current mileage was 40,353. kmj | |||
| 10/19/2011 | 405333 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2007 kia optima. the contact stated the the air bag warning light illuminated on the insturment panel of the vehicle. the manufacturer was notified, but denied any assistance with repair to the defect. the dealer was not contacted. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 40,533 and the current mileage was 40,353. nw | |||
| 10/06/2011 | |||
| 2007 kia optima air bag warning light stay on and will not go out until the engine is shutoff. there have been numberous of complaints to kia concerning this problems.this is a safety issue and kia needs to fix the problems. nhtsa please investigated kia air bag warning light problems. | |||
| 11/15/2010 | 55000 | ||
| I have a kia optima 2007, i bought it brand new in 2007. the air bag light is on and they have not fixed it under warranty at all. also the engine ligh has come on and they will not fix that as well. i have had to change the rooters on the car only a year into drivng it. the air bags will not deploy in the event there is a crash which is a danger to me and my kids. i have tried to reason with kia and they want nothing to do with me at all. | |||
| 07/28/2010 | |||
| My 2007 kia optima seems to be having issues with the driver side airbag and randomly with the radio/cruise control setting on the steering wheel. my problems did not appear to start until after the steering column was replaced back in october of 2009 due to the noises that was coming from it. the air bag light has recently come on and stays on. one dealer said that the code that they were getting is that clock spring in the steering column need to be replaced again and would not be covered. another dealer states that they are not getting any codes and the air bag would need to be replaced at $1200.00. the noise from the steering column can still be heard and i was told that it is the bearing in the steering column and there is nothing that they can do about that. the issues with the controls on the steering wheel is random and the dealer states that it never duplicates for them. now that the warranty period is over i would have to pay out of pocket even though some of the issues started before the warranty was out and it was supposed to be noted in their system. kia headquarters open up a case with no resolution other than no of the dealers called their helpdesk for help or made any claims of my issues. they suggested they i take the car back and have the dealer call them and reference the case number. i have check to see if there has been in recalls on my particular vehicle and it appears to have not been any. although there have been other kia owners to post this same issues on the internet and basically have the same results there are still no recalls. just the dealers try this and that. the owners paying for what supposed to be the resolution to the problem and it really is not. the problem may go away for a while and then shortly return. it is more like getting the run around with wasted time and money. | |||
| 05/01/2010 | 75000 | ||
| Purchased my kia optima new in 07.. for the past 5 months the dashboard air bag sensor has been on. i called the dealership, they said there is nothing they can do for it and that more than likely its just the sensor and the air bags should deploy when they are suppose to.. i also was told that if the light is on that means the air bags are not going to deploy. so basically there is nothing anyone can do and who knows if it is going to work! | |||
| 09/11/2007 | 100 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2007 kia optima. the contact stated that the passenger side air bag indicator would illuminate intermittently. the failure occurred 75% of the time and he could never determine when it would illuminate or dim. he took the vehicle to the dealer four times within two years, but they could never duplicate the failure and provide a remedy. the manufacturer stated that they would collect service records and get back with him. the current mileage was approximately 11,800 and failure mileage was approximately 100. | |||
| 10/24/2008 | 33000 | 1 | |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2007 kia optima. while driving 50 mph, the vehicle slid and struck a guardrail while avoiding another vehicle. the roads were wet due to rainy conditions. after striking the rail, the front end slid and the passenger side was damaged. none of the air bags deployed. the vehicle had to be towed to a shop and was considered to be destroyed by the insurance company. the contact stated that due to the severity of the crash, the air bags should have deployed and may have failed due to a defect in the vehicle. a police report was filed. the current and failure mileages were 33,000. updated 11-25-08 *bf | |||
| AIR BAGS - FRONTAL | |||
| 05/14/2011 | 61000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2007 kia optima. the contact stated after purchasing the vehicle the air bag light came on indicating a faulty air bag module. the contact took the vehicle to the dealer who replaced the entire wiring harness and air bag module. the contact stated after the vehicle was repaired the air bag light came on again. the contact took the vehicle back to the dealer who stated they could not remedy the failure. the contact stated the vehicle was unsafe to drive due to the faulty air bag. the failure mileage was 61,000. rvk | |||
| 05/14/2011 | 61000 | ||
| Tl. the contact owns a 2007 kia optima. the contact stated after purchasing the vehicle the air bag light came on. the air bag light indicates a faulty air bag module. the contact took the vehicle to the dealer and the dealer replaced the entire wiring harness and air bag module. the contact stated after the repairs the air bag light came on again. the contact took the vehicle back to the dealer and the dealer stated they can not remedy the vehicle. the contact stated the vehicle was unsafe to drive due to the faulty air bag. the failure mileage 61,000. jo | |||
| 06/20/2008 | 40000 | ||
| My 2007 kia optima has had both sun visors break making them unable to remain in the upward position. initially the driver side visor broke and several months later the passenger side broke. it made it difficult to see traffic lights when stopped at an intersection so i held them up with straps. now i cant use them to block the sun. i would replace them but they are expensive and i feel that this problem should not have occurred because they were used normally, i do not atttach anything to the visors and they were usually up. additionally when i sit in the passenger front seat the airbag light comes on indicating that the passenger airbag is off. this is supposed to only happen when there is no occupant in the seat. im not sure why but it only seems to happen when i am in the seat. i wear my seatbelt and sit normally in the chair. this has happened since the car was bought used in 2008. | |||
| 08/04/2010 | 45000 | ||
| How many consumers have to complain about the air bags in 2007 kia optima (mostly passenger) before a recall is issued. this is a dangerous situation. i've already brought my vehicle to dealer during warranty period and they could not duplicate problem. what is the point of airbags if they don't deploy when needed? someone, if not already, will be seriously hurt or killed. there are numerous complaints about the airbags, and those are just the ones that consumers took the time to report. what about the visors with the defective internal piece that shatters and leaves the visors in a hanging position. this is dangerous!! these issues have been going on since the vehicle was manufactured and no recall was ever issued. again, these are severe saftey issues. what does it take and how many complaints and injuries does it take to have a manufacturer correct a safety issue? | |||
| 08/04/2010 | 67000 | ||
| Passenger air bag does not activate when passenger is in seat. brought in to dealer, while still under warranty, could not find anything wrong. passenger visor broke and hangs in line of vision. researched and found this to be a common problem with this vehicle on both visors. there is a defective piece used in the arm of visor that shatters. this is a very dangerous problem, as the visor will not stay in upright position and drops down into line of vision. both of these issues are a common complaint of this vehicle. vehicle is no longer under warranty, therefore, can't afford to repair defective visor that should have been redesigned with stronger parts. | |||
| 08/04/2010 | 45000 | ||
| How many consumers have to complain about the air bags in 2007 kia optima (mostly passenger) before a recall is issued. this is a dangerous situation. i've already brought my vehicle to dealer during warranty period and they could not duplicate problem. what is the point of airbags if they don't deploy when needed? someone, if not already, will be seriously hurt or killed. there are numerous complaints about the airbags, and those are just the ones that consumers took the time to report. what about the visors with the defective internal piece that shatters and leaves the visors in a hanging position. this is dangerous!! these issues have been going on since the vehicle was manufactured and no recall was ever issued. again, these are severe saftey issues. what does it take and how many complaints and injuries does it take to have a manufacturer correct a safety issue? | |||
| 08/04/2010 | 67000 | ||
| Passenger air bag does not activate when passenger is in seat. brought in to dealer, while still under warranty, could not find anything wrong. passenger visor broke and hangs in line of vision. researched and found this to be a common problem with this vehicle on both visors. there is a defective piece used in the arm of visor that shatters. this is a very dangerous problem, as the visor will not stay in upright position and drops down into line of vision. both of these issues are a common complaint of this vehicle. vehicle is no longer under warranty, therefore, can't afford to repair defective visor that should have been redesigned with stronger parts. | |||
| 01/20/2010 | 49000 | 1 | |
| When my wife sits in the passenger side of our kia optima approximately 20% of the time the airbag off light never turns off. we have followed the instructions from the dealer on how to properly sit in the seat etc. we have had the dealer look at the vehicle twice and so far they have refused to fix it. my wife's weight varies from 130-140lbs. at my first visit to the dealership they told me the weight limit was 110lbs. this past visit we were told the limit was 120lbs. i have been told by nhtsa that they test with a crash dummy weighing 108lbs so regardless my wife is well outside of the weight thresholds. this is a duplicate of original complaint 10299891. i was told by nhtsa that adding the weights of occupants would be beneficial to them. *tr | |||
| 01/15/2010 | 49000 | 1 | |
| When my wife sits in the passenger side of our kia optima approximately 20% of the time the airbag off light does not turn off. we have followed instructions from the dealer on how to properly sit in the seat etc. we have had the dealer look at the vehicle twice and so far they have refused to fix it. *tr | |||
| 11/27/2009 | 7 | 1 | |
| Front passenger airbag light remains illuminated approximately 60% of the time when seat is occupied by a passenger. this has been a problem since i purchased the car in april 2007. from all i have read on the internet, this is the most prevailing problem kia owners have. kia acknowledges this is true, but says this is simply how the system is designed. their only solution is that passengers must sit bolt upright and weigh over 130 pounds. they also advise me to turn the car off and restart it to fix the problem. not good!!! *tr | |||
| 11/15/2007 | 1 | ||
| In 2007 i purchased a new kia optima 4cyl automatic from a local dealer. soon after, i discovered that the passenger airbag light would sometimes remain illuminated when there was a passenger in the seat, meaning that the airbag was off. kia authorized dealer said that unless passenger is sitting in upright position exactly in the middle of the seat, the sensor will not work properly. we also noted that if passenger not sitting correctly at first couple of minutes of drive, but then reposition himself in upright position, sensor will not react and air bag will be off until car restarted. dealer said that sensor is checking for passenger only once at the beginning of drive and does not re-check during the drive. it seems not logical - if i am picking up the passenger after hour of drive without turning the motor off, the sensor should sense the passenger and turn on the air bag. the dealers answer about upright position of passenger is nonsense - our nissan quest 2004 had the same problems and nissan company did voluntary recall and re-design the seat cushion sensor to the bigger and more sensitive one, so position of the passenger on the seat does not matter anymore. as i see from simple google search (just search for kia optima passenger air bag problem), there is a lot of customer's reports for the same problem. it looks like kia company found that design flaw for sorrento model, but i believe they will need to check optima 2007 as well. i've bought kia due to advertisement of kia car's 5-star safety rating, but now i am really concern about safety of my loved ones if they are on the passenger seat in my car. it is a quite dangerous car defect and i hope my complaint will speed up kia response to the potential life-threatening problem. *tr | |||
| 07/02/2008 | 6750 | 1 | |
| In 2007 i purchased a new kia optima from coleman kia in trenton, nj. soon after, i discovered that the passenger airbag indicator light would sometimes remain illuminated even though there was an adult passenger in the seat, meaning that the airbag was not activated. the dealer performed a system check and determined that the system was performing to specifications. shortly thereafter, the problem recurred. the dealer then said that they could not diagnose the problem unless the condition occurred in their presence.this time when the problem recurred i returned to the dealerwith my wife in the passenger seat. this time, the seat cushion assembly was replaced. the next time the problem occurred, the dealer provided me with a bulletin from kia outlining proper seating positions. i was also advised that if the problem recurred (which it did) that i should pull to the side of the road and turn the ignition off, have the passenger get out and then back in and then restart the car. this should allow the onboard computer to reset and (hopefully) recognize the presence of a front seat passenger. at this point, i contacted kia's regional office to file a complaint. the reference # is k1580673. an appointment was scheduled with kia's field technical representative. in the meantime, i was told to place a towel on the seat to more evenly distribute passenger weight?? on 07/30/09, kia's field tech inspected the car and determined the airbag system was operating to design intent. since then, i have discovered numerous other consumer complaints documenting this problem. it is now clear that kia is well aware of this condition but has refused to acknowledge the flaw in the design of the system. so far, kia's only response is to cite improper seating positions. needless to say, the position of the passengers torso, arms or legs should not prevent the passenger airbag system from operating properly. please investigate this problem before a tragedy occurs....mark ludwig *tr | |||
| 10/09/2008 | |||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2007 kia optima. whenever an occupant was positioned in the front passenger seat, the passenger side air bag warning indicator illuminated on the instrument panel. the failure occurred 80% of the time when an occupant was detected. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for diagnostic testing. the technician was unable to duplicate the failure. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer on nine separate occasions for the identical failure, but there were no resolutions. the failure mileage was unavailable and the current mileage was 27,000. | |||
| AIR BAGS - SIDE/WINDOW | |||
| 11/25/2008 | 14000 | 1 | |
| The passenger air bag warning light stays illuminated when my wife sits in the passenger seat. since she only weighs about 100 pounds i called kia their representative told me that it took 120m pounds to turn the light off. this does not sound correct to me. the vehicle is a 2007 kia optima. any help that you can give me will be greatly appreciated *tr | |||