A defect was found in the wiring harness located under the front passenger seat, which can cause malfunctions in the operation of airbags and seat belts.
The recall will affect more than 80 thousand vehicles on the American market — these are the Niro EV, Plug-in Hybrid (PHEV) and Hybrid models produced from 2023 to 2025.
As the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) notes, damaged wires can not only block the activation of airbags at the moment of a collision, but also provoke their spontaneous deployment. Official letters for owners of such cars are planned to be sent already in March. At Kia dealerships, wiring inspection will be carried out free of charge, and if necessary, cables will be replaced or relocated, with additional installation of protective components.
This is already the second major recall by Kia in a short period of time. In November 2024, together with Hyundai, more than 200 thousand electric vehicles were recalled due to a problem in the charging module that could cause a sudden loss of power and increase the likelihood of an emergency situation.
