Service brakes, hydraulic: antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip: control unit/module
Manufacturer
Kia America, Inc.
Vehicles affected
71,704
Reported to NHTSA
2022-10-24
Owners notified
2022-12-22
Defect description
Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2008-2009 Sportage vehicles previously recalled under recall 16V-815. An engine compartment fire originating from around the Hydraulic Electronic Control Unit (HECU) may occur while parked or driving.
Safety risk
A fire increases the risk of injury.
Manufacturer remedy
Owners are advised to park outside and away from structures and other vehicles until the recall repair has been performed. Dealers will inspect and replace the HECU, its wiring harness, and its fuses, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 22, 2022. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC253.
Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain model year 2008-2009 Kia Sportage vehicles manufactured August 9, 2007, to May 13, 2009. The wire harness cover on the Hydraulic Electronic Control Unit (HECU) may be improperly sealed allowing water to get onto the HECU circuit board. If the water is contaminated with salt, such as could occur from melted snow, the wire harness connector pins may corrode and the circuit board may short circuit.
Safety risk
If the HECU short circuits, there is an increased risk of an engine compartment fire.
Manufacturer remedy
Kia will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the connector pins for corrosion, if no corrosion is found, the connector cover will be replaced. If corrosion is present, the dealer will replace the HECU assembly and the connector cover, free of charge. The recall began on November 28, 2016. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC138.
Kia Motors Corporation (Kia) is recalling certain model year 2007-2010 Rondo, model year 2007-2011 Sedona, Sorento and Sportage, model year 2010-2011 Soul, model year 2008-2011 Optima, model year 2010 Forte, model year 2007-2009 Amanti, and model year 2009 Borrego vehicles. Originally, in April 2013, Kia recalled 623,658 model year 2007-2010 Rondo and Sportage, model year 2007-2011 Sorento, model year 2007 Sedona, model year 2010-2011 Soul, and model year 2011 Optima vehicles. In September 2013, Kia informed the agency that it was adding an additional 356,719 vehicles to this campaign. The total number of vehicles being recalled is now 980,377. In the affected vehicles, the stop lamp switch may malfunction. A malfunctioning stop lamp switch may cause the brake lights to not illuminate when the brake pedal is depressed or may cause an inability to deactivate the cruise control by depressing the brake pedal. Additionally, a malfunctioning stop lamp switch may also result in intermittent operation of the push-button start feature, affect the operation of the brake-transmission shift interlock feature preventing the shifter from being moved out of the PARK position and cause the Electronic Stability Control (ESC) malfunction light to illuminate.
Safety risk
Failure to illuminate the stop lamps during braking or inability to disengage the cruise control could increase the risk of a crash. Additionally, when the ignition is in the 'ON' position, the transmission shifter may be able to be moved out of PARK without first applying the brake. This may lead to unintentional movement of the car which may increase the risk of a crash.
Manufacturer remedy
Kia will send an interim notification to owners in May 2013. When parts are available, owners will receive a second notification and dealers will replace the stop lamp switch, free of charge. Owners may contact Kia at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's recall campaign number is SC098.
Owner complaints
A complaint is one person's report to a federal agency. It is not a finding.
Component
Complaints
Median mileage
Electrical system
26
90,000 mi
Engine
17
90,000 mi
Service brakes
15
71,000 mi
Structure: body
11
90,000 mi
Electronic stability control (ESC)
9
48,000 mi
Power train
9
24,900 mi
Exterior lighting
6
54,000 mi
Service brakes, hydraulic
6
48,000 mi
Air bags
5
83,000 mi
Engine and engine cooling
3
27,600 mi
Power train: automatic transmission
3
22 mi
Tires: pressure monitoring and regulating systems
3
3,000 mi
Unknown or other
3
129,232 mi
Visibility
2
34,500 mi
Electrical system: 12V/24V/48V battery
1
—
Engine and engine cooling: cooling system: fan
1
—
Engine and engine cooling: exhaust system
1
22 mi
Exterior lighting: brake lights: switch
1
48,000 mi
Fuel system, gasoline: storage: tank assembly
1
—
Fuel/propulsion system
1
—
Latches/locks/linkages
1
—
Latches/locks/linkages: hood: latch
1
64,000 mi
Seat belts
1
—
Service brakes, air: antilock: ABS warning light
1
112,000 mi
Service brakes, hydraulic: antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip: control unit/module
1
140,000 mi
Steering
1
900 mi
Structure
1
—
Structure: body: hood: hinge and attachments: support device/strut
1
167,000 mi
Suspension
1
—
Suspension: front
1
900 mi
Tires
1
—
Traction control system
1
—
Vehicle speed control
1
148,000 mi
Wheels
1
—
The 2007 model has roughly the same number of complaints as this one. The 2009 model has roughly the same number of complaints as this one. These figures reflect raw complaint counts, not failure rates. Higher-selling model years naturally receive more complaints.
Open investigations
An investigation is not a recall. It indicates that NHTSA is currently evaluating an alleged defect but has not reached a final determination.
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Service brakes, hydraulic: antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip: control unit/module
Safety recall repairs are provided free of charge by franchised dealers, regardless of vehicle age or mileage. This page displays aggregated data for the model year. To check recall status for a specific vehicle, search its VIN at nhtsa.gov.