Kia is recalling nearly 200,000 of its K5 sedans due to improperly installed airbags that may not properly deploy in a crash.
The recall covers about 188,912 K5 midsize sedans sold between 2021 and 2023, according to a filing with the U.S. National Highway Transportation Safety Administration.
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The side curtain airbags may have been installed improperly while the vehicles were being assembled at the Kia Georgia plant.
As a result these airbags may not properly deploy in the event of a crash, which increases the risk of a crash.
There have been no fatalities nor confirmed injuries related to this condition, according to documents filed with NHTSA.
The Kia North America Safety Office learned of the defect when an engineer was investigating the steering assist after a crash involving a 2021 K5.
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During the inspection, the engineer noticed the driver’s side curtain airbag may not have deployed properly.
Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed April 7 with instructions to bring their vehicles to a Kia dealer. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542.
The Kia K5, formerly known as the Kia Optima, is a mid-size car manufactured by the South Korean automaker since 2000.
Head- and chest-protecting side airbags are designed to inflate in side crashes to prevent people's heads and chests from contacting intruding parts of vehicle side structure, a striking vehicle or an object such as a tree or pole, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
Front airbags reduce driver fatalities in frontal crashes by 29% and fatalities of front-seat passengers age 13 and older by 32%.
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%, the organization said on its website.
Kia, which is partially owned by Hyundai (HYMTF) , recently released a 15-second teaser video for the upcoming EV9, the company's first three-row SUV. The vehicle's debut is schedule for March 15.
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