Kia recalls nearly 260,000 old sedans as plates in ceiling can come loose

Kia has issued a recall for nearly 260,000 older midsize cars in the US because plates in the ceiling of these vehicles can come loose if the side curtain air bags get inflated in a crash. The recall affects certain 2012 and 2013 Kia Optima sedans whose headliner plates on both sides of the cars may not be secured properly, having the potential of getting detached and hit drivers or passengers.

Kia has even come across a case of a driver being hurt in a 2012 Optima. As per documents posted by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), The automaker will fix this problem by asking affected vehicle owners to come to dealers, where they will put industrial-grade tape over the plates to help secure them. Notification letters will be sent from September 26.

In a separate development, Kia also issued a recall in Russia for more than one lakh units on due to a possible airbag malfunction, a government regulator announced. The recall involves Kia Rio models that were assembled between 2013 and 2018 at the Hyundai Motor Group factory in the Russian city of St Petersburg, the country's federal agency for technical regulation and metrology said.

The automaker's Russian arm will contact the owners of 105,405 affected vehicles to get the issue fixed.

The fourth-generation Kia Rio hatchback comes with the carmaker's first petrol 48V mild-hybrid system with ‘clutch-by-wire’ manual transmission. It sports features such as a new bigger 8.0-inch widescreen, and a 4.2-inch digital instrument cluster display. Its safety suite includes Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist (FCA) with pedestrian, vehicle and new cyclist recognition, Lane Keeping Assist (LKA), Driver Attention Warning (DAW), and Blind-Spot Collision Warning (BCW).