Kia Recalls 146,000 Optimas and Rondos for Driver’s Air Bag Flaw

Kia Recalls 146,000 Optimas and Rondos for Driver’s Air Bag Flaw



Kia is recalling about 146,000 vehicles because the driver’s air bag may not deploy in a crash, the automaker told the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
The recall covers the 2006-8 Optima sedan and the 2007-8 Rondo wagon, according to a report from Kia posted Friday on the safety agency’s Web site.
Kia said the clock-spring contact assembly “may become damaged through usage over time,” which could prevent the air bag from deploying. The driver would be warned of the problem by an air-bag warning light.
Kia said it was not aware of any injuries related to the defect and that it learned of the problem last fall, when it was reviewing warranty claims. This was not long after Hyundai, the parent company of Kia, recalled about 205,000 vehicles for a similar issue.
Hyundai recalled its 2007-8 Veracruz and Santa Fe crossovers because the spring in the air-bag assembly could wear. At the time of the recall, the automaker said it had received nearly 8,000 warranty claims. Kia issued a separate recall the same week, related to the passenger-side air bag on its Sorento crossover. The agency began that investigation in November 2009. Kia had resisted issuing a recall for almost two years, agreeing only after the agency made clear that it would push the issue by sending an unusual, formal demand for a recall.