Recalls


CampaignManufacturerManufacturing dateType# of units affectedDate Owner notified MfgRecall Initiated byManufacturers of recalled vehicles/productsReport Recieved DateRecord Creation DateRegulation Part NumberFMVSS Number
AIR BAGS - FRONTAL - SENSOR/CONTROL MODULE
11V473000KIA MOTORS CORPORATIONfrom 06/15/2006 to 11/27/2007V (Vehicle)10631ODIKIA MOTORS CORPORATION09/07/201109/14/2011
Defect SummaryKia is recalling certain model year 2007-2008 sorento passenger cars manufactured from june 15, 2006 through november 27, 2007. the front passenger air bag may be turned off when an adult is in the passenger seat. the front passenger air bag is designed to be turned off in limited circumstances including when children and small adults are seated in the front passenger seat, there is a child restraint in that seat or the seat is not occupied. the vehicle's occupant classification system (ocs), which classifies the occupant in the front passenger seat, may misclassify an adult passenger as a child or child seat and improperly turn off the passenger side air bag. when the air bag is deactivated the passenger air bag off light will illuminate on the center instrument panel.
Consequence SummaryThe passenger side air bag is turned off when the ocs misclassifies an adult passenger. with the front passenger airbag off, the front passenger will not have the protection of the passenger air bags in some frontal collisions, thus increasing the risk of occupant injury.
Corrective SummaryKia will update the programming in the sorento ocs control module at no charge. the recall remedy is currently available under service campaign sc076. owners may contact kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542.
NotesKia's recall campaign number is sc076a.customers may 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.

Bulletins


BulletinBulletin dateReplacement BulletinItem no.SummaryAdded
AIR BAGS - FRONTAL
KT-200905080105/08/200910030366Kia motors: these vehicles may experience a problem with the occupant classification system (ocs). the ocs is an integral part of the passengers seat cushion, and may misclassify the presence of certain adult passengers based on a comibina09/25/2009
AIR BAGS - FRONTAL - SENSOR/CONTROL MODULE
KT-200905080105/08/200910030366Kia motors: these vehicles may experience a problem with the occupant classification system (ocs). the ocs is an integral part of the passengers seat cushion, and may misclassify the presence of certain adult passengers based on a comibina09/25/2009

Investigations


NHTSA IDManufacturerDate openDate closeSubjectRecall campaign
AIR BAGS
EA09017KIA MOTORS CORPORATION11/19/200909/26/2011Air Bag Occupant Classification System11V473000
 The sorento's front passenger air bag may be turned off when an adult is seated in the passenger seat. the front passenger air bag is designed to be turned off in limited circumstances including when children and small adults are seated in the front passenger seat, there is a child restraint in that seat, or the seat is not occupied.but the sorento has misclassified adults sitting in the passenger seat.this causes the passenger side frontal air bag to deactivate and the passenger air bag off light to illuminate. on may 12, 2009, kia launched a technical service bulletin campaign (sc076) to address this problem, installing upgraded occupant classification system (ocs) software in vehicles built prior to the 11/27/2007 production date. odi and kia identified 908 owner reports and 927 warranty claims related to this ocs issue.kia also reported one crash where the passenger frontal air bag did not deploy in a frontal crash due to misclassification.testing of sorento vehicles built prior to december 2007 shows that misclassification can occur.as of april 2011, kia reports that approx. 46,000 of the 57,228 vehicles have been upgraded with the revised software.on september 6, 2011, kia submitted a defect notice and will recall the affected vehicles that have not been upgraded.owner notification is scheduled to start in late-september 2011.the recall will upgrade the ocs software.accordingly the investigation is closed.
EA09017HYUNDAI-KIA AMERICA TECHNICAL CENTER INC11/19/2009AIR BAG OCS FAILURE
 Kia reports that for vehicles built prior to the software updateof 11/27/2007, the vehicles can improperly classify an adult as achild restraint seat and thus illuminate the airbag offwarning light and suppress the frontal passenger airbag.on may 12, 2009, kia launched a technical service bulletin (sb076) campaign to re-flash all vehicles built prior to the 11/27/2007 production date.kia also believes that occupant movement and out of position seating contributed to the high number of complaints.there was one frontal passenger air bag non-deployment crash that resulted in 1 minor injury of a belted adult passenger occupant as a result of the airbag off warning light being illuminated and thus suppressing the passenger air bag.this engineering analysis is opened to further examine this issue.
PE09034HYUNDAI-KIA AMERICA TECHNICAL CENTER INC07/17/200911/30/2009AIR BAG OCS
 Kia reports that for vehicles built prior to the software update of 11/27/2007, the vehicles can improperly classify an adult as a child restraint seat and thus illuminate the airbag off warning light and suppress the frontal passenger airbag.on may 12, 2009, kia launched a technical service bulletin (sb076) campaign to re-flash all vehicles built prior to the 11/27/2007 production date.kia also believes that intermittent occupant movement and out of position seating contributed to the high number of complaints.905 of the 947 complaints and 1,014 of the 1,107 warranty claims were associated with the 57,228 vehicles built prior to the 11/27/2007 production date.there was one frontal passenger airbag non-deployment crash that resulted in one minor injury of a belted adult passenger occupant.this preliminary evolution is being upgraded to an engineering analysis (ea09-017) to further assess this issue for all my2007-2008 sorento vehicles built prior to the 11/27/2007 production date.
AIR BAGS - FRONTAL
EA09017KIA MOTORS CORPORATION11/19/200909/26/2011Air Bag Occupant Classification System11V473000
 The sorento's front passenger air bag may be turned off when an adult is seated in the passenger seat. the front passenger air bag is designed to be turned off in limited circumstances including when children and small adults are seated in the front passenger seat, there is a child restraint in that seat, or the seat is not occupied.but the sorento has misclassified adults sitting in the passenger seat.this causes the passenger side frontal air bag to deactivate and the passenger air bag off light to illuminate. on may 12, 2009, kia launched a technical service bulletin campaign (sc076) to address this problem, installing upgraded occupant classification system (ocs) software in vehicles built prior to the 11/27/2007 production date. odi and kia identified 908 owner reports and 927 warranty claims related to this ocs issue.kia also reported one crash where the passenger frontal air bag did not deploy in a frontal crash due to misclassification.testing of sorento vehicles built prior to december 2007 shows that misclassification can occur.as of april 2011, kia reports that approx. 46,000 of the 57,228 vehicles have been upgraded with the revised software.on september 6, 2011, kia submitted a defect notice and will recall the affected vehicles that have not been upgraded.owner notification is scheduled to start in late-september 2011.the recall will upgrade the ocs software.accordingly the investigation is closed.
PE09034HYUNDAI-KIA AMERICA TECHNICAL CENTER INC07/17/200911/30/2009AIR BAG OCS
 Kia reports that for vehicles built prior to the software update of 11/27/2007, the vehicles can improperly classify an adult as a child restraint seat and thus illuminate the airbag off warning light and suppress the frontal passenger airbag.on may 12, 2009, kia launched a technical service bulletin (sb076) campaign to re-flash all vehicles built prior to the 11/27/2007 production date.kia also believes that intermittent occupant movement and out of position seating contributed to the high number of complaints.905 of the 947 complaints and 1,014 of the 1,107 warranty claims were associated with the 57,228 vehicles built prior to the 11/27/2007 production date.there was one frontal passenger airbag non-deployment crash that resulted in one minor injury of a belted adult passenger occupant.this preliminary evolution is being upgraded to an engineering analysis (ea09-017) to further assess this issue for all my2007-2008 sorento vehicles built prior to the 11/27/2007 production date.
EA09017HYUNDAI-KIA AMERICA TECHNICAL CENTER INC11/19/2009AIR BAG OCS FAILURE
 Kia reports that for vehicles built prior to the software updateof 11/27/2007, the vehicles can improperly classify an adult as achild restraint seat and thus illuminate the airbag offwarning light and suppress the frontal passenger airbag.on may 12, 2009, kia launched a technical service bulletin (sb076) campaign to re-flash all vehicles built prior to the 11/27/2007 production date.kia also believes that occupant movement and out of position seating contributed to the high number of complaints.there was one frontal passenger air bag non-deployment crash that resulted in 1 minor injury of a belted adult passenger occupant as a result of the airbag off warning light being illuminated and thus suppressing the passenger air bag.this engineering analysis is opened to further examine this issue.
AIR BAGS - FRONTAL - SENSOR/CONTROL MODULE
EA09017KIA MOTORS CORPORATION11/19/200909/26/2011Air Bag Occupant Classification System11V473000
 The sorento's front passenger air bag may be turned off when an adult is seated in the passenger seat. the front passenger air bag is designed to be turned off in limited circumstances including when children and small adults are seated in the front passenger seat, there is a child restraint in that seat, or the seat is not occupied.but the sorento has misclassified adults sitting in the passenger seat.this causes the passenger side frontal air bag to deactivate and the passenger air bag off light to illuminate. on may 12, 2009, kia launched a technical service bulletin campaign (sc076) to address this problem, installing upgraded occupant classification system (ocs) software in vehicles built prior to the 11/27/2007 production date. odi and kia identified 908 owner reports and 927 warranty claims related to this ocs issue.kia also reported one crash where the passenger frontal air bag did not deploy in a frontal crash due to misclassification.testing of sorento vehicles built prior to december 2007 shows that misclassification can occur.as of april 2011, kia reports that approx. 46,000 of the 57,228 vehicles have been upgraded with the revised software.on september 6, 2011, kia submitted a defect notice and will recall the affected vehicles that have not been upgraded.owner notification is scheduled to start in late-september 2011.the recall will upgrade the ocs software.accordingly the investigation is closed.
EA09017HYUNDAI-KIA AMERICA TECHNICAL CENTER INC11/19/2009AIR BAG OCS FAILURE
 Kia reports that for vehicles built prior to the software updateof 11/27/2007, the vehicles can improperly classify an adult as achild restraint seat and thus illuminate the airbag offwarning light and suppress the frontal passenger airbag.on may 12, 2009, kia launched a technical service bulletin (sb076) campaign to re-flash all vehicles built prior to the 11/27/2007 production date.kia also believes that occupant movement and out of position seating contributed to the high number of complaints.there was one frontal passenger air bag non-deployment crash that resulted in 1 minor injury of a belted adult passenger occupant as a result of the airbag off warning light being illuminated and thus suppressing the passenger air bag.this engineering analysis is opened to further examine this issue.
PE09034HYUNDAI-KIA AMERICA TECHNICAL CENTER INC07/17/200911/30/2009AIR BAG OCS
 Kia reports that for vehicles built prior to the software update of 11/27/2007, the vehicles can improperly classify an adult as a child restraint seat and thus illuminate the airbag off warning light and suppress the frontal passenger airbag.on may 12, 2009, kia launched a technical service bulletin (sb076) campaign to re-flash all vehicles built prior to the 11/27/2007 production date.kia also believes that intermittent occupant movement and out of position seating contributed to the high number of complaints.905 of the 947 complaints and 1,014 of the 1,107 warranty claims were associated with the 57,228 vehicles built prior to the 11/27/2007 production date.there was one frontal passenger airbag non-deployment crash that resulted in one minor injury of a belted adult passenger occupant.this preliminary evolution is being upgraded to an engineering analysis (ea09-017) to further assess this issue for all my2007-2008 sorento vehicles built prior to the 11/27/2007 production date.

Consumer Complaints


Fail datemilesoccurencesPurchase date
AIR BAGS
01/01/20131000001
 My 18 year old son was driving my kia sorento along with his 16 year old brother in the passenger seat when the vehicle hydroplaned on a wet road. the vehicle crashed into a tree on the passengers side of the vehicle in between the front passenger wheel and the door hinge. my 18 year old managed to get out of the vehicle and get help for his brother that unfortunately had passed away on the scene. after reviewing my vehicle, i personally noticed that none of the driver's or passengers air bags were deployed. i tragically lost my 16 year old son in the mist of the situation as well as having my 18 rushed to the hospital. my concern is that when i received the report from my insurance adjuster for the loss of my vehicle... there was recall attached to the findings for these air bags for which i had never been notified of. i know this will never bring him back to me but the air bags may have prevented the injuries and the fatality!!!! *tr
01/01/2013100000
 My 18 year old son was driving my kia sorento along with his 16 year old brother in the passenger seat when the vehicle hydroplaned on a wet road. the vehicle crashed into a tree on the passengers side of the vehicle in between the front passenger wheel and the door hinge. my 18 year old managed to get out of the vehicle and get help for his brother that unfortunately had passed away on the scene. after reviewing my vehicle, i personally noticed that none of the driver's or passengers air bags were deployed. i tragically lost my 16 year old son in the mist of the situation as well as having my 18 rushed to the hospital. my concern is that when i received the report from my insurance adjuster for the loss of my vehicle... there was recall attached to the findings for these air bags for which i had never been notified of. i know this will never bring him back to me but the air bags may have prevented the injuries and the fatality!!!!
12/26/201250500
 Tl-the contact owns a 2008 kia sorrento. the contact stated that while driving 55 mph in snowy weather, he attempted to avoid crashing into another vehicle and swerved off the roadway. the contact traveled over a grassy area before crashing into a tree. the air bags failed to deploy and the vehicle was destroyed. the contact struck her head on the windshield but was not transported to the hospital. the police were notified and a police report was filed. the vehicle was towed to a salvage yard. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the vin was unavailable. the failure mileage was 50,500. kmj
07/30/200810001
 The front passenger air bag is turned off when an adult sets in the seat. the ocs miss classifies the adult in the front seat and the air bag light stays on which turns the front and the side air bag off. kia has a recall campaign for certain sorentos to be reprogrammed. however when i took my car to the kia dealer i was told that my vin number was not in the recall even though i have the same problem. they told me that i would have to pay for the reprogramming my self. this doesn't make sense to me because my sorento was manufactured within the recall dates and has the same problem. i feel this is a serious safety concern and should me paid for my kia motors. *tr
07/30/20081000
 The front passenger air bag is turned off when an adult sets in the seat. the ocs miss classifies the adult in the front seat and the air bag light stays on which turns the front and the side air bag off. kia has a recall campaign for certain sorentos to be reprogrammed. however when i took my car to the kia dealer i was told that my vin number was not in the recall even though i have the same problem. they told me that i would have to pay for the reprogramming my self. this doesn't make sense to me because my sorento was manufactured within the recall dates and has the same problem. i feel this is a serious safety concern and should me payed for my kia motors.
10/31/201127000
 This vehicle has a problem with the passenger side air bag indicator and auto shut off feature. the vehicles of the same make and model manufactured only 6 months prior to mind have a recall. the problem lies that the passenger side seat has a sensor to turn on the air bag. the feature will only turn on if the passenger is 130 lbs or more. so my wife that weighs 120lbs will not activate the air bag, and the passenger side air bag off remains on. i was told of this by my local kia technician that said this is a problem on all the sorento of this year. so there is nothing he can do. my vehicle is still under warranty. kia said they are unwilling to fix. so they may have a lawsuit on their hands later. this needs to be resolved are there are many adults that weigh less than 130lbs
10/10/201131700
 Tl- the contact owns a 2008 kia sorento. the contact stated that the passenger side air bag off warning light illuminated intermittently. the dealer advised the contact that the vehicle was operating as designed. the manufacturer was contacted and a complaint was filed. the contact was also advised to take the vehicle to another dealer for a second opinion. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and the current mileage was 31,700. kmj
10/10/201131700
 The contact owns a 2008 kia sorento. the contact stated the passenger air bag light illuminates intermittently. the dealer advised the air bag light illuminates for safety reason, and the vehicle was operating as it was designed. the manufacturer took a report case number 2094019, and advised to take the vehicle to another dealership for a second opinion. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and the current mileage was 31,700. li
07/06/200915000
 Tl- the contact owns a 2008 kia sorento. the contact stated the passenger side air bag light comes on even when someone is sitting in the seat. the dealer has replaced the seat cushion three times, but the failure still exists. the dealer has also scanned the sensor without correcting the failure. the contact also stated the tire pressure monitoring system light comes on as well. the dealer clears the memory and the light goes off for two months and comes back. the contact is concerned that somehow these to failures are linked. the vin was unknown. the failure mileage was 15,000 and the current mileage was 45,000.rl
12/03/200910000
 Tl-the contact owns a 2008 kia sorento. the air bag on the passenger side will not deploy if there is an accident in which the air bag light comes on stating it is not operable. the dealer and the manufacturer was contacted stating they are aware of the problem and they will not repair the failure. the failure and current mileage was 10,000.....mw
08/09/20093000
 Tl* the contact owns a 2008 kia sorento. the passenger front air bag misclassified a small adult as a child. as a consequence in a situation that warrants, the air bags may fail to deploy. the dealer was contacted and a technician could not identify the cause of the failure. however he speculated that the seats would have to be positioned far away from the air bag in order to be operative. the failure mileage was 3,000. the current mileage was 6,900.
01/30/2009178631
 Passenger airbag light will not turn off when passenger sits in seat. meaning the airbags will not deploy if an accident occurs. this has been happening intermittently since december 2008, the first documented time was january 2009, and has been documented five times. the only attempt to repair was to update the computer chip, which did not work. we have been told by the dealer that they will not repair this problem, which to me is a major safety issue. *tr
AIR BAGS - FRONTAL
04/10/20094000
 Since we purchased our 2008 kia sorento in march 2009, there has been a problem with the passenger seat where when i am sitting there and the passenger airbag off light is illuminated. i am 150 pounds, and moved myself around in the seat, weight centered, sitting properly. at the same time we have been fighting the issue of the esc off and check engine light as well, so the 3 times the vehicle has been to service for the esc off problem, we also told them about the passenger airbag off. my husband is the one who took the vehicle and the first time they told him that i was not positioned in the seat properly. the second time the vehicle went to the service dept, it was after i basically yelled at them on the phone and told them to rip out the seat if they had to in order to fix it. again, my husband took it, they said that the airbag will deploy, but it might be slow. i knew this was incorrect. i know the way it works and if the sensor is not working properly and it says the airbag is off, it will not deploy. the third time it went to service for the esc off light problem, my father went and had a stern conversation with the service manager and advised him that he was a service manager and that he knows that it is his responsibility to find out the cause of the problem and fix it, especially being the car is under warranty and that this is a safety issue. they supposedly fixed the issue, i'm not sure what they did, but we have only had the problem again once in the past 6 months, as opposed to twice a week for over a year. i have filed a separate complaint regarding the esc off and check engine light.
11/07/201025000
 2008 kia sorento airbag deployment while the vehicle was parked. 38 y w/f sitting in driver's seat, vehicle not running and no one was around vehicle. airbag deployed striking female on left side causing injury to abdomen, arm, shoulder and face. according to kia computer malfunction caused problem. glad she was waiting on other son to leave church. kia's solution is to replaced airbag system. vehicle still under warranty. events female sat in driver's seat. consequences moderate injury, disoriented unable to remember which child was in the back seat she was talking to at the time. offical medical visit at urgent care the next morning. x-rays and cat scan. severe consequences could have been death if it happened 5-10 minutes later going down road. what has been done? i have been informed kia does not deal with hypothetical situations. family could have been just another number.
03/19/200924621
 Intermittent display on dash passenger air bag off' while passenger is seated and belted into passenger seat. several documented service appointments with dealer have failed to eliminate problem. *tw
01/21/200927201
 We purchased a 2008 kia sorento from kia of bradley, illinois, last november. the front passenger air bag light signals that the air bag is off, even though somebody is sitting in the seat. as i understand it, then, that if you were in a front end accident and the light is stating the air bag is off, it will not deploy. we have complained numerous times to kia of bradley, talked with the regional manger, and his boss and their stand is that my wife is sitting wrong in the seat. i don't buy this. there was a recall, we took it in to be fixed, that did not help. also, the front passenger seat was replaced and that did not help either. they did all this work but continue to maintain that my wife is sitting in the seat incorrectly. *tr
10/30/2009165491
 Passenger airbag light comes on with a passenger in the seat and says that air bag is turned off. wife weights 160 and is a full size adult. kia says she is not sitting in the seat right, i have had it in to the deal twice now for this same problem. they know they have a problem and are avoiding it. it ia a kia sorento. *tr
08/30/2009101
 Passenger airbag off light remains on when adult passengers over 108 lb sit in seat. no airbag failure light indicated. had dealer rep inspect and do calibration to ocs in late aug. however, the fault still happens about 1out of 10 times. *tr
05/15/20091601
 The passenger air bag light will not go off. i have taken it into the dealership 2 times and they said they have fixed the sensor. it still is not fixed. i have seen on a few forums (ie. edmunds.com) that it has been an issue and it is not getting resolved. i am concerned for my passengers safety. *tr
05/07/2009150104/30/2009
 Tl*the contact owns a 2008 kia sorento. whenever an occupant is seated in the passenger seat, the air bag light illuminates, which indicates that it is not engaged nor working properly. the failure was noticed while driving at any speed. the vehicle has been taken to the dealer on two occasions. the first time, the mechanic stated that other consumers were experiencing the same failure. the contact was informed that movement in the seat will usually engage the air bags. the dealer did not offer a remedy at that time. a week later, the vehicle was taken back to the dealer and they stated that it was unsafe to sit in the vehicle. the air bag light will dim once the vehicle has been restarted a few times. the service manager called and stated that a recall was issued for this failure. the nhtsa campaign id number was unable to be located. the current and failure mileages were 150. updated 06/10/09. *jb
11/30/2008200
 Tl*the contact owns a 2008 kia sorento. the contact started the ignition and suddenly the air bag warning indicator illuminated on the instrument panel. the warning indicator remained illuminated until the engine was turned off. the failure occurred whenever an occupant was seated in the front passenger seat. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for diagnostic testing and they stated that the failure was related to the air bag sensor. the air bag sensor and pad were replaced and the vehicle was taken to the authorized dealer on three separate occasions for identical failures; however, there were no resolutions. the manufacturer is aware of the failure and an engineer conducted an inspection on the vehicle. the air bag sensor was reprogrammed; however, the failure continued. the vehicle has not been repaired. the failure mileage was 200 and current mileage was 4,400.
09/18/20081
 I have 2008 kia sorento. on the evening i bought the car, i was sitting in the passenger side and the airbag light came on stating that the airbag was off. i have taken it to the dealership and they said there is a nationwide backorder for the part and not to allow anyone to sit in the front seat. this was a month ago they still cannot get the part. i will be taking it to the dealership this friday to see if they can reset the computer. they said they have had alot of complaints on this problem. *tr
AIR BAGS - FRONTAL - SENSOR/CONTROL MODULE
12/28/200862000
 Tl*the contact owns 2008 kia sorento. the contact stated that the passenger side air bag warning light occasionally failed to indicate that a passenger was seated in the front seat. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who stated that the manufacturer would not replace the computer because it was a smarts system. the vin was unknown. the failure mileage was 62,000.
12/28/200730
 Tl* the contact owns a 2008 kia sorento. the ocs misclassifies the presence of certain adult passengers based on a combination of their weight, stature, body shape and position on the seat cushion. as consequence the air bags may fail to deploy in a situation that warrants. the vehicle was taken to the dealership three times for the failure. the vehicle was repaired once according to service bulletin #10030366 (air bags:frontal:sensor/control module). the repair did not remedy the failure. the current mileage was 7,321. the failure mileage was approximately 30.
05/15/2009380
 Tl*the contact owns a 2008 kia sorento. the passenger front air bag sensor misclassified a small stature adult as a child. the contact is aware of the safety risk in the event of a crash, the air bag may fail to deploy. the vehicle was taken to the dealer, and a technician concluded that since the passenger weighed only 130 lbs, she was not large enough for the sensor to detect her weight. the failure mileage was 380 and the current mileage was 3,200.