Kia
- The Korean automaker Kia said Saturday that it would recall 295,000 US vehicles due to the risk that their engines could catch fire.
- Kia’s vehicle recall includes the 2012-2013 Sorento and 2014-2015 Soul, according to a Reuters report.
- The recall, first reported by Reuters, comes amid a civil penalty Kia and affiliate Hyundai agreed upon after federal regulators said the automakers did not recall vehicles for engine issues in a timely fashion.
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Kia Motors is recalling 295,000 US vehicles due to the risk that their engines could catch fire, the automaker said Saturday, following a civil penalty Kia and affiliate Hyundai Motor agreed to pay after federal regulators said the automakers did not recall vehicles for engine issues in a timely fashion.
Reuters reported on Saturday that Kia, a Korean company with US headquarters in Irvine, California, said the recall will cover some vehicles models, including:
- 2014-2015 Soul
- 2012-2015 Forte and Forte Koup
- 2012-2013 Sorento
- 2011-2013 Optima Hybrid
- 2012 Sportage
Kia representatives did not return a request for comment on Sunday. Reuters reported the company said it is currently developing a software update to its Knock Sensor Detection System, which monitors unusual activity in a car’s engines and could prevent issues while driving.
Affiliate Hyundai, meanwhile, said Friday that it recalled 129,000 US vehicles.
Together, the companies’ penalties over what the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said was the untimely recall of more than 1.6 million vehicles with Theta II engines, and “inaccurately” reporting certain information to NHTSA regarding those recalls, amounted to $210 million.
The carmakers would take additional measures in light of the issues. Kia will install a new US safety office, headed by a chief safety officer, NHTSA said in a statement last week.
Hyundai would also build a US test facility for safety investigations, and "both companies will develop and implement sophisticated data analytics programs to better detect safety-related concerns," NHTSA said. NHTSA is the government agency that oversees motor vehicle safety across the US in partnership with state and local governments.
The manifold issues around the companies' engines have cost them.
In October, Hyundai reported a net loss from July to September, missing analysts' earnings estimates, as engine quality-related issues hurt its results, Reuters reported.
Together, Kia and Hyundai had previously warned in October that they would need to set aside $2.9 billion in provisions related to these years-long issues.