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Kia Telluride, K5, Forte may miss child seat

NHTSA campaign 21V164000 · Reported 2021-03-11 · Kia Motors America

high How serious is it? About this label

Serious for families — a front airbag can deploy on a child in a child seat in a crash — though the notice does not tell owners to stop driving; until it is fixed, the safest place for a child seat is the back seat.

What's wrong, in plain English

The sensor in the front passenger seat that decides whether someone is sitting there may fail to recognize a child restraint seat, so these vehicles do not meet the federal rule for occupant crash protection. If the system does not detect the child seat, the front passenger airbag can stay switched on and inflate during a crash. A front airbag going off right next to a child sitting in a child seat can seriously injure that child. Dealers will replace the sensor unit.

What you should do

1. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to confirm your Kia is covered.
2. Contact your Kia dealer or Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542 (recall SC207) to schedule the repair.
3. The dealer will replace the passenger seat occupant detection unit free of charge.

Affected vehicles (3)

Who to contact

Kia — official Kia recall lookup

Customer service: 1-800-333-4542

Any franchised dealer for the brand can do the repair. Phone numbers are taken from manufacturer sites and recent NHTSA notices; if one has changed, the number in your own recall letter is the one to use.

The bigger picture

Official notice

Component
AIR BAGS: AIR BAG/RESTRAINT CONTROL MODULE
Summary
Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2021 Telluride, K5, and Forte vehicles. The Occupant Classification and Detection System (OCS/ODS) unit may not detect the presence of a child restraint system in the front passenger seat. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."
Safety risk
In the event of a crash, deployment of the front passenger air bag, with a child in that seat, can increase the risk of injury to the child.
Remedy
Kia will notify owners, and dealers will replace the OCS/ODS unit, free of charge. The recall began March 18, 2021. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC207.

Verify your specific vehicle by VIN at nhtsa.gov. Recall repairs are free of charge by law.