Kia Exterior Lighting: Headlights

Kia is recalling about 3,099 vehicles over a problem with the exterior lighting. Loss of headlight illumination may reduce visibility and increase the risk of a crash.

Campaign
16V210000
Manufacturer
Kia Motors America
Reported
12 April 2016
Vehicles
3,099
Built between
Dec 2013 – Jan 2016
Models
1
Recall type
Vehicle
Initiated by
Manufacturer
Owners notified
20 May 2016
Repaired
87%
Unrepaired
272

Does this affect my vehicle?

This recall covers vehicles built between December 2013 and January 2016. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.

  • 2015-2016 Kia K900Built December 2013 to January 2016

Repair progress

272 of 3,099 vehicles in this recall had still not been repaired as of Q3 2017.

87% repaired — 2,708 of 3,099 reported

Owners not reachable
94
Scrapped or exported
25

Manufacturers file these figures with NHTSA each quarter. Vehicles the manufacturer could not trace, or that have been scrapped or exported, are counted separately and are not included in the unrepaired figure.

What the defect is

Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain model year 2015-2016 K900 vehicles manufactured December 18, 2013 to January 11, 2016 and equipped with LED headlights. In the affected vehicles, when using the multi-function light switch in "AUTO" mode, electrical resistance may build in the switch and result in the headlights flickering or turning off when driving.

What could happen

Loss of headlight illumination may reduce visibility and increase the risk of a crash.

What gets fixed

Kia will notify owners, and dealers will replace the multi-function switch, free of charge. The recall began on May 20, 2016.

Timeline

  1. Vehicles builtDecember 2013 to January 2016
  2. Recall reported to NHTSA12 April 2016
  3. Owners notified20 May 2016
  4. Latest repair reportQ3 2017 — 87% repaired

Your rights

A safety recall repair is free. Under US federal law the manufacturer must fix a safety defect at no cost to you — no charge for parts, labor or diagnosis — whether or not you are the original owner. A dealer cannot charge you for recall work, and cannot require you to have bought the vehicle from them.

That entitlement is not unlimited. It applies where the vehicle was first sold less than 15 years before the recall was announced — 5 years for tires. Past that a manufacturer may still do the repair free of charge, and many do, but they are no longer obliged to. This recall was reported on 12 April 2016.

To arrange the repair, contact any franchised dealer for the brand. If a dealer refuses the work or tries to charge for it, you can report that to NHTSA at nhtsa.gov/recalls or on 1-888-327-4236.

Manufacturer contact

Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC130.

Official source

Manufacturer's recall number
SC130
Recalling manufacturer
Kia Motors America
Recall initiated by
MFR

Everything on this page — the models listed, the build dates and the repair figures — comes from the manufacturer's filing to NHTSA and describes the vehicle line as a whole, not any individual car. Only the manufacturer can confirm whether a specific vehicle is affected, and whether its recall work has already been carried out. Check yours by VIN and read the official notice at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

Additional notes

Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov.

Check your own vehicle

This page describes the recall, not any one car. To see which recalls cover a specific vehicle, search by make, model and year.

A VIN lookup here identifies your vehicle and shows recalls issued for that make, model and year. It cannot tell you what is still open on your individual car - only the manufacturer knows that. Search by VIN instead, or check your VIN at nhtsa.gov for whether a recall is still open on your individual car.

Same component

Same brand