Kia recalls almost 200,000 of its K5 sedans sold between 2021 and 2023 in the United States due to improperly installed airbags that might not properly deploy in the event of a crash. The recall affects 188,912 midsize sedans built at Kia’s Georgia plant. According to a report filed with the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA), the side curtain airbags may have been installed incorrectly during vehicle assembly. As a result, in a collision, the airbags may not deploy correctly, increasing the risk of injury.
The defect was discovered by the Kia North America Safety Office while an engineer was investigating the steering assist after a crash involving a 2021 K5. During the inspection, the engineer discovered that the driver’s side curtain airbag had possibly not been deployed properly. According to Kia, there have been no fatalities or confirmed injuries as a result of this issue.
On April 7, the automaker is expected to send owner notification letters with instructions to bring their vehicles to a Kia dealer. For more information, owners can call Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542.
The Kia K5, formerly the Kia Optima, is a mid-size car produced by the South Korean automaker since 2000. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, head- and chest-protecting side airbags are designed to inflate in side crashes to keep people’s heads and chests from colliding with intruding parts of a vehicle’s side structure, a colliding vehicle, or an object such as a tree or pole.
Front airbags reduce driver fatalities in frontal collisions by 29% and front-seat passenger fatalities by 32%. According to the group’s website, side airbags that protect the head reduce a car driver’s risk of death in driver-side crashes by 37% and an SUV driver’s risk by 52%.
Kia, a Hyundai subsidiary, recently released a 15-second teaser video for the upcoming EV9, the company’s first three-row SUV. The vehicle will be unveiled on March 15.
