Under pressure from federal regulators, Kia recalls 580,000 vehicles.

Forbes (6/20, Cheryl, Jensen, 10.34M) reports that “following pressure from federal regulators, Kia is recalling about 508,000 vehicles because the air bags may not protect occupants in a crash.” The recall comes “four years after the automaker was named in a suit alleging air bags failed to deploy, according to a chronology included in a report the automaker made to the NHTSA.” Kia maintained that it “had investigated the issue and didn’t think a recall was necessary” even after its parent company Hyundai “recalled 580,000 vehicles earlier this year for the same problem.” In March, “federal regulators announced it was investigating reports of six accidents involving Kias in which the airbags did not deploy.” Kia continued to resist “saying the design of its vehicles was different,” but in May the NHTSA “formally requested a recall.”