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Kia Forte and Rio trunk cannot open from inside

NHTSA campaign 21V622000 · Reported 2021-08-09 · Kia Motors America

medium How serious is it? About this label

A person inside the trunk compartment may become trapped, increasing their risk of injury. The notice does not tell owners to stop driving.

What's wrong, in plain English

Every car sold in the U.S. must have a handle inside the trunk so anyone shut in there can get out. On these Kias, the trunk latch can get damaged, and when that happens the inside release will not open the trunk. That matters most if a child climbs into the trunk while playing, or if someone is ever shut inside. The car drives normally otherwise. A dealer will replace the whole trunk latch assembly for free.

What you should do

1. Look up your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to confirm your Forte or Rio is covered by campaign 21V622000 (Kia's number SC216).
2. Call your Kia dealer, or Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542, to schedule the latch replacement.
3. Have the trunk latch assembly replaced at no charge to you.

Affected vehicles (3)

2018 Kia Forte
2018 Kia RIO
2019 Kia RIO

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

Kia trunk latch and sliding door recalls: what owners should know · all 3 Kia recalls in this area

Official notice

Component: LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:TRUNK LID:LATCH
Summary: Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2016-2018 Forte 4-door, Forte Koup 2-door, and 2018-2019 Rio 4-door vehicles. The trunk latch may become damaged, preventing the opening of the trunk from the inside. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 401, "Internal Trunk Release."
Safety risk: A person inside the trunk compartment may become trapped, increasing their risk of injury.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the trunk latch assembly, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on February 10, 2022. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC216.

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