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Which Kia airbag recalls affect your car, and how serious?
Two themes run through Kia's airbag recalls. The first is side curtain airbags built or installed wrong: 2023 Soul and 2024 Seltos curtains can deploy on their own, 2018 Sorento curtains can shed a loose part during deployment, 2021-2023 K5 curtains may be installed incorrectly, and 2023 Sportage curtains may be twisted during installation. The second is occupant detection: the OCS/ODS unit in 2021 Telluride, K5 and Forte, and ODS mat routing in 2025-2026 EV9, may not switch the front passenger airbag off for a child seat. Separately, 2017-2019 Sedona, Soul and Soul EV plus 2017-2018 Forte and Forte Koup can suffer airbag control unit circuit damage that deactivates airbags, and 2023 Telluride second-row side airbag harnesses can be damaged.
Warning signs to watch for
- A side curtain airbag firing with no warning at all (2023 Soul, 2024 Seltos)
- The front passenger airbag not switching off when a child seat is in that seat (2021 Telluride, K5, Forte; 2025-2026 EV9)
- Most of these faults give no sign an owner can notice — installation and wiring errors only show up in a crash
- Nothing you can test yourself: whether airbags are deactivated or wrongly installed is found only by dealer inspection
Is it safe to keep driving?
None of these eight recalls carries a stop-driving or park-outside instruction from Kia or NHTSA, so you can keep driving while you wait for an appointment. Treat the 2023 Soul and 2024 Seltos curtain recall as the most pressing, since those airbags can fire with no warning. For the 2021 Telluride, K5 and Forte and the 2025-2026 EV9, the front passenger airbag may not switch off for a child seat, so put children and child restraints in the back seat until the repair is done.
What the free repair involves
Everything here is free dealer work. Side curtain recalls are handled by inspecting and replacing the modules (2023 Soul, 2024 Seltos, 2018 Sorento) or reinstalling them correctly (2021-2023 K5, 2023 Sportage). Occupant detection means a new OCS/ODS unit, or on the EV9 a new ODS mat and bladder tube with proper routing. The 2023 Telluride gets its harnesses secured or replaced, and the airbag control unit is updated or replaced.
Severity at a glance
| Severity | Recalls |
|---|---|
| critical | 1 |
| high | 6 |
| medium | 1 |
Models affected most
Every recall in this group
| Date | Recall | Severity |
|---|---|---|
| 2026-08-21 | Kia EV9 front passenger airbag may not switch off | high |
| 2023-12-22 | Kia Soul and Seltos side airbags may deploy unexpectedly | critical |
| 2023-03-07 | Kia K5 side curtain airbags may be installed wrong | high |
| 2023-01-29 | Kia Telluride second-row side airbags may not deploy | high |
| 2022-11-28 | Kia Sportage side curtain airbags may be twisted | medium |
| 2022-01-25 | Kia Soul, Forte and Sedona Airbags May Not Deploy | high |
| 2021-03-11 | Kia Telluride, K5, Forte may miss child seat | high |
| 2017-12-08 | Kia Sorento side curtain airbag may throw loose part | high |
Common questions
Can my child still ride in the front seat?
Not in the recalled vehicles. On 2021 Telluride, K5 and Forte and 2025-2026 EV9, the system may not switch the passenger airbag off for a child seat, so put children and child restraints in the rear until the unit or ODS mat is fixed.
My K5 or Sportage airbags are only being reinstalled — is that a real fix?
Yes. Those notices say the side curtain airbags were installed incorrectly or twisted, not that the airbags themselves are defective, so Kia's remedy is to inspect and reinstall them correctly, free of charge. Full replacement is used where the module itself is at fault.
Will a dashboard light tell me my airbags are affected?
The notices do not promise any warning. Most of these faults only show up in a crash, and the 2023 Soul and 2024 Seltos defect can fire an airbag with no warning at all. Check your VIN or call Kia at 1-800-333-4542.
A recall applies only to specific vehicles. Check your 17-character VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.