Kia announces recall of 56,000 Soul and Sorento cars
Kia Motors said it is recalling about 35,000 vehicles sold in the United States due to faulty wiring in interior lights that could cause fires. Credit: Getty/MARK RALSTON
DETROIT - Kia Motors said Friday it has started a recall of 56,000 Soul and Sorento vehicles sold in the United States and South Korea due to defective wiring harnesses that could cause fires.
Some harnesses supplied by Johnson Controls for lighting in 2010 model-year Soul cars and 2011 model-year Sorento SUVs were improperly soldered, leading to possible electrical shorts, Kia said in a letter to U.S. safety regulators on Aug. 30.
There were no reports of accidents or injuries due to the issue, which was identified in June, said Kia, an affiliate of South Korea's Hyundai Motor Co. Kia determined last month that a recall was needed.
Owners will be notified later this month.
Through August, Kia Soul sales had more than doubled in the United States to nearly 44,000 from the first eight months of 2009. The Soul has been marketed to the same younger drivers targeted by Toyota Motor Corp.'s Scion brand.
Kia will replace the wiring harnesses, it said.
The U.S. recall covers 23,972 Soul cars produced from Sept. 7, 2009, through June 8, and 11,213 Sorento vehicles built from Oct. 23, 2009 through July 30, according to the notice filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The remainder were sold in South Korea.
In August, NHTSA launched a probe into possible steering defects in the 2010 Soul after a driver said a steering shaft detached from the steering wheel in a two-month-old vehicle and fell onto the driver-side floor, causing a complete steering loss and limited braking.
