Popular car brand recalls nearly 20,000 vehicles over faulty trunk latches

Sep 4 2023, 2:50 pm

If you own a Kia vehicle, it could be a part of the car brand’s latest recall.

According to a Transport Canada notice, Kia is recalling 19,916 vehicles due to faulty trunk latches.

A part in the trunk release latch could fail in some of the car brand’s models.

“If this happens, the emergency trunk release located inside the trunk compartment may not work properly,” reads the recall notice. “This could prevent a person that is trapped inside the trunk from opening it.”

Transport Canada says this could create risk of injury.

Here are the vehicles that are affected:

  • Kia Rio – 2016, 2017
  • Kia Optima – 2016, 2017, 2018

The brand will notify owners by mail if their car is affected. It advises those affected by the recall to take their vehicle to a dealership to replace the trunk latch bases subassembly.

You can find out if this recall applies to you by inputting your Vehicle Identification Number on this site.

You can also contact Kia at 1-877-542-2886 for any questions or concerns.

This isn’t the only recent vehicle recall.

Last month, both Hyundai and Kia announced recalls for thousands of cars due to fire risk.

Canada’s transportation agency says that the circuit board for the transmission electric oil pump may be damaged on certain cars and SUVs made by the car brands.

ā€œAs a result, the circuit board could short circuit and overheat, and various electrical systems may not work properly,ā€ reads the notice.

This short circuit could create the risk of a fire.

Hyundai and Kia advise drivers with affected vehicles to park outside and away from buildings and other cars until the recall repairs are completed.

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