Kia recalls 80,000 Niro vehicles because of damaged wiring

A serious airbag issue has prompted a recall of 80,000 Kia Niro vehicles - Image (c) ConsumerAffairs

The wiring issue could prevent airbags from deploying

Kia has issued a recall for 80,255 2023-2025 Niro EV, Plug-in Hybrid (PHEV), and Hybrid vehicles. The floor wiring assembly beneath the front passenger seat may become damaged, which can prevent the front airbags and seat belts from deploying properly or cause an unintended side curtain airbag deployment.

Air bags and seat belts that deploy improperly or an air bag deploying unintentionally can increase the risk of injury in a crash.

What to do

Dealers will inspect, replace and reroute the floor wiring assembly, as necessary, free of charge. In addition, dealers will install wiring covers. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed by March 14, 2025. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC332.

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 nhtsa.gov.

To determine if your vehicle is included in this recall, go to the NHTSA recall page and enter the license plate number or 17-digit VIN.