Kia Electrical System

Kia is recalling about 228,829 vehicles over a problem with the electrical system. An electrical short within the ABS Module may cause an engine compartment fire, even when the vehicle is turned off, increasing the risk of an injury.

Campaign
20V088000
Manufacturer
Kia Motors America
Reported
14 February 2020
Vehicles
228,829
Built between
Jun 2005 – Jul 2009
Models
2
Recall type
Vehicle
Initiated by
NHTSA investigation
Owners notified
5 June 2020
Repaired
23%
Unrepaired
105,068

Does this affect my vehicle?

This recall covers vehicles built between June 2005 and July 2009. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.

  • 2006-2010 Kia SedonaBuilt June 2005 to July 2009
  • 2007-2009 Kia SorentoBuilt June 2006 to December 2008

Repair progress

105,068 of 228,829 vehicles in this recall had still not been repaired as of Q1 2022.

23% repaired — 53,565 of 228,829 reported

Owners not reachable
39,240
Scrapped or exported
30,956

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 2006-2010 Sedona and 2007-2009 Sorento vehicles. Moisture may enter the Anti-lock Brake (ABS) Module and result in an electrical short.

What could happen

An electrical short within the ABS Module may cause an engine compartment fire, even when the vehicle is turned off, increasing the risk of an injury.

What gets fixed

Kia will notify owners, and dealers will install a relay in the main junction box to prevent power from being directed to the HECU when the vehicle's ignition switch is turned off, free of charge. The recall began June 5, 2020.

Timeline

  1. Vehicles builtJune 2005 to July 2009
  2. Recall reported to NHTSA14 February 2020
  3. Owners notified5 June 2020
  4. Latest repair reportQ1 2022 — 23% 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 14 February 2020.

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 SC186.

Official source

Manufacturer's recall number
SC186
Recalling manufacturer
Kia Motors America
Recall initiated by
ODI

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