- Vehicles
- 70,887
- Built between
- Not published
- Models
- 4
- Recall type
- Vehicle
- Initiated by
- Manufacturer
- Owners notified
- 27 July 2023
- Repaired
- 29%
- Unrepaired
- 48,455
Safety advisories
Park outside and away from buildings
Affected vehicles carry a fire risk that can occur while parked, even with the engine off. Park away from structures and other vehicles until the recall repair has been completed.
Does this affect my vehicle?
The manufacturer did not publish a build-date range for this recall, so the model and year list below is the only way to tell whether your vehicle is covered.
- 2016-2022 Kia Sorento
- 2021-2023 Kia Sorento Hybrid
- 2022-2023 Kia Sorento Phev
- 2017-2022 Kia Sportage
Repair progress
48,455 of 70,887 vehicles in this recall had still not been repaired as of Q1 2026.
29% repaired — 20,450 of 70,887 reported
- Owners not reachable
- 1,299
- Scrapped or exported
- 683
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 America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2016-2022 Sorento, 2021-2022 Sorento Hybrid (HEV), 2022-2023 Sorento Plug-In Hybrid (PHEV), and 2017-2022 Sportage vehicles equipped with a tow hitch harness installed as original equipment, or purchased as an accessory through a Kia dealership. Debris and moisture accumulation on the tow hitch harness module printed circuit board (PCB) may cause an electrical short, which can result in a fire.
What could happen
A fire while parked or driving can increase the risk of injury.
What gets fixed
Owners are advised to park outside and away from structures until the recall repair is complete. Dealers will inspect the vehicle, and, as necessary, replace the fuse and/or tow hitch harness module, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 11, 2023.
Parts involved
- Tow Hitch HarnessC6061 ADUS0 / C6061 ADUS1 / C6061 ADUS8 / C6061 ADUS9 / C6061 ADUSA / C6061 ADUSBTOW HITCH HARNESS (2016-2020 Sorento)
- Tow Hitch HarnessC6061 ADUSAQQK / C6061 ADUSBQQK / C6061 ADUSC / C6061 ADUSD / C6061 ADUSFTOW HITCH HARNESS (2016-2020 Sorento)
- Tow Hitch HarnessC6061 ADUSG / C6061 ADUSH / C6061 ADUSNQQK / C6061 ADUSPQQKTOW HITCH HARNESS (2016-2020 Sorento)
- Tow Hitch HarnessD9061 ADU00 / D9061 ADU01 / D9061 ADUP1 / D9061 ADU02 / D9061 ADUP2 / D9061 ADU03TOW HITCH HARNESS (2017-2022 Sportage)
- Tow Hitch HarnessD9061 ADUP3 / D9061 ADU04 / D9061 ADUP4 / D9061 ADU05 / D9061 ADUP5 / D9061 ADUS6TOW HITCH HARNESS (2017-2022 Sportage)
- Tow Hitch HarnessD9061 ADUS6QQK / D9061 ADUS7 / D9061 ADUS9 / D9061 ADUP0 / D9061 ADUS5 / D9061 ADUSATOW HITCH HARNESS (2017-2022 Sportage)
- Tow Hitch HarnessR5F61 AU100 / R5F61 AU200TOW HITCH HARNESS (2021-2023 Sorento, Sorento HEV, Sorento PHEV)
Part numbers are as filed by the manufacturer and are listed for reference. Your dealer will confirm the correct part for your vehicle.
Timeline
- Recall reported to NHTSA19 September 2022
- Owners notified27 July 2023
- Latest repair reportQ1 2026 — 29% 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 19 September 2022.
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 SC249.
Official source
- Manufacturer's recall number
- SC249
- Recalling manufacturer
- Kia America, Inc.
- 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.nhtsa.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.