The Recall Desk
SevereNHTSA·16V231000·Announced 2016-04-21

Kia Recalls 2016 Optima Vehicles Due to Driver Air Bag Defect

Kia is recalling 2016 Optima vehicles because the driver's frontal air bag may not deploy fully in a crash, increasing injury risk.

What this means for you

Illness, injury, or structural failure has been reported. Stop using the product immediately and contact the manufacturer for a refund or repair.

Our severity reasoning: The source text explicitly states that the defect increases the risk of injury or death, which aligns with the rubric criteria for a Severe (4) rating involving significant injury reports or high-risk structural defects.

Plain-English summary

Kia Motors America is recalling certain model year 2016 Kia Optima vehicles manufactured between November 10, 2015, and February 12, 2016. The recall involves a defect where a chemical enhancer required for the second stage deployment of the driver's frontal air bag was not loaded. As a result, the second stage of the air bag may not deploy in necessitating crashes.

If the second stage air bag does not deploy, it increases the risk of injury or death. The recall began on May 6, 2016.

Kia will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's frontal air bag module free of charge. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC131. Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 or go to www.safercar.gov.

The recalled product

Product
KIA OPTIMA
Brand
KIA
Manufacturer
Kia Motors America
Category
Vehicle — Air Bag
Hazard
Affected units
17

Is your product affected?

Check your packaging against the codes below. If any of them match, the product is part of this recall.

Model numbers (1)

  • OPTIMA

Distribution

Distributed nationwide across the United States.

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