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Kia Optima and Rio trunk may not open from inside

NHTSA campaign 23V594000 · Reported 2023-08-24 · Kia America, Inc.

low 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

The base of the trunk latch can crack. If it does, the release handle inside the trunk will not open the lid, so anyone shut in the trunk cannot get out on their own. This does not change how the car drives or how you open the trunk normally from outside. It matters most if a child climbs into the trunk to play and the lid closes. A dealer replaces the latch base free of charge.

What you should do

1. Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see if your car is covered by recall SC278.
2. Contact your Kia dealer, or Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542, to schedule the repair.
3. Have the trunk latch base replaced at no cost.

Affected vehicles (2)

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
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:TRUNK LID:LATCH
Summary
Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2016-2017 Rio, 2016-2018 Optima, 2017-2018 Optima Hybrid and Optima Plug-in Hybrid vehicles. The trunk latch base may crack, 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 base subassembly, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed October 19, 2023. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC278.

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