Kia Recalls 2025-2026 EV9 Vehicles for Front Passenger Air Bag Defect
Kia is recalling 2025-2026 EV9 vehicles because the Occupant Detection System may fail to deactivate the front passenger air bag for child seats.
What this means for you
Our assessment, not the agency’s: severity 3/5 (High).
Real risk of harm even if no illness or injury has been reported yet. Stop using the product and follow the agency's guidance.
Our severity reasoning: The recall involves a risk-of-harm product where injury has not yet been reported, fitting the 'High' severity criteria for potential injury without confirmed fatalities or hospitalizations.
Plain-English summary
Kia America, Inc. is recalling certain 2025-2026 EV9 vehicles. The recall addresses a defect in the Occupant Detection System (ODS) caused by improper routing. This issue may prevent the system from deactivating the front passenger air bag when a child or child seat is present in that seat. As a result, these vehicles fail to comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."
The defect poses a safety risk because a child in the front seat may be at a greater risk of injury if the air bag deploys during a crash. The recall affects 21,290 vehicles.
Dealers will inspect and replace the ODS mat and bladder tube with a new one and ensure proper routing as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters will be mailed beginning October 20, 2026. Owners may contact Kia Customer Service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC379. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will become searchable on NHTSA.gov on September 4, 2026.
The recalled product
- Product
- KIA EV9
- Brand
- KIA
- Manufacturer
- Kia America, Inc.
- Category
- Vehicle — Air Bag System
- Affected units
- 21,290
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)
- EV9
Distribution
Distributed nationwide across the United States.
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