The Kia Sportage is the Korean brand's compact crossover model. Competing in this crowded space is no small feat; Kia's approach is to catch attention with sharp looks and its usual strong value for money. Once Kia has turned your head, it hopes to reel you in with the Sportage's nicely done interior. The Sportage's drive is nothing otherworldly, but Kia appeals to enthusiastic drivers with a potent turbo option.
Issue:
On certain vehicles, the brake hydraulic electronic control unit (HECU) could short circuit.
Safety Risk:
A short circuit could create a fire risk, even while the vehicle is parked and turned off.
Corrective Actions:
Kia will notify owners by mail and advise you to take your vehicle to a dealership to replace the fuse(s) for the HECU. Kia recommends that you should park your vehicle outdoors and away from other vehicles or structures until the recall repairs have been completed.
Issue:
On certain vehicles, the circuit board in the electric oil pump assembly for the transmission may be damaged. As a result, the circuit board could short circuit and overheat.
Safety Risk:
A short circuit could create the risk of a fire.
Corrective Actions:
Kia will notify owners by mail and advise you to take your vehicle to a dealership to inspect the transmission electric oil pump assembly, and replace it as necessary. Kia recommends parking your vehicle outside and away from other vehicles or buildings until the recall repairs are completed.
Issue:
On certain vehicles, the instrument cluster screen could remain blank when the vehicle is started. If this happens, you may not be able to see certain information about the vehicle, including the odometer, warnings, and malfunction tell-tale graphics.
Safety Risk:
Warnings and malfunction tell-tale information that doesn't display could increase the risk of a crash.
Corrective Actions:
Kia will notify owners by mail and instruct you to take your vehicle to a dealership to update the instrument cluster software.
Issue:
On certain vehicles, the brake hydraulic electronic control unit (HECU) could short circuit.
Note: This recall replaces RC107 (Transport Canada recall 2016-562). Vehicles that were repaired under that recall also require this repair.
Safety Risk:
A short circuit could create a fire risk, even while the vehicle is parked and turned off.
Corrective Actions:
Kia will notify owners by mail and advise that you should park your vehicle outdoors and away from other vehicles or structures until the recall repairs have been completed. The corrective actions for this recall are under development.
Issue:
On certain vehicles, a bracket for the folding rear seats can damage the wiring for the rear seat heater. If this happens, the wiring could short circuit.
Note: This recall only affects vehicles equipped with fold-and-dive rear seats with the seat heater option.
Safety Risk:
A short circuit could create a fire risk, even while the vehicle is parked and turned off.
Corrective Action:
Kia will notify owners by mail and instruct you to take your vehicle to a dealership to reinforce the rear seat heater wire harness. Kia advises that you may continue to drive your vehicle, but that you should park it outside and away from structures until the recall repairs are completed.
Issue:
On certain vehicles, the brake hydraulic electronic control unit (HECU) could short circuit.
Safety Risk:
A short circuit could create a fire risk, even while the vehicle is parked and turned off.
Corrective Actions:
Kia will notify owners by mail and instruct you to take your vehicle to a dealer replace the ABS multi-fuse. Kia recommends that you should park your vehicle outdoors, and away from other vehicles or structures until the recall repairs have been completed.
Issue:
On certain vehicles, the owner's manual is missing information for how a person can contact Transport Canada to report a safety concern. As of September 1, 2020, Canadian regulations require all companies to provide this information in the owner's manual.
Safety Risk:
This error does not affect vehicle safety.
Corrective Actions:
This is not a recall. Kia has corrected the owner's manual for all new vehicles. Additionally, corrected owner's manuals are available to view on Kia Canada's website.
Issue:
On certain vehicles, a problem in the control module for the antilock brake system (ABS) could cause it to short circuit.
Note: This recall does not affect vehicles equipped with Smart Cruise Control (SCC).
Safety Risk:
A short circuit could create a fire risk.
Corrective Actions:
Kia will notify owners by mail and advise you to take your vehicle to a dealer to install new ABS fuse(s) and, on certain models, update the Hydraulic Electronic Control Unit (HECU) software. Kia recommends that you should park your vehicle outdoors and away from other vehicles or structures until the recall repairs have been completed.
Issue:
Kia Canada is conducting a Product Improvement Campaign that provides an update to the engine control module to detect potential problems before an engine fails. An engine failure could cause a sudden loss of power with an inability to restart.
Note: This only affects vehicles equipped with a 2.4 L MPI engine.
Safety Risk:
A sudden loss of engine power could increase the risk of an accident. An engine failure could also create the risk of a fire.
Corrective Actions:
Kia will notify owners by mail. Owners will be instructed to take their vehicle to a dealer to update the software for the engine control module.
Note: Kia recommends that you should always follow the correct vehicle maintenance schedule, which is printed in the Owner's Manual. If you experience unusual engine noise, reduced power, or a check engine/oil warning light, Kia advises you to immediately visit a Kia dealership to have your vehicle diagnosed.
Issue:
On certain vehicles equipped with a 2.0 L NU GDI or 2.4 L Theta II MPI engine, an engine compartment fire could occur while driving. Kia is conducting this recall as a preventative measure to prevent fire risk due to potential fuel leaks, oil leaks and/or engine damage. In some situations, you may notice any of the following symptoms: there could be an abnormal knocking noise from the engine; the check engine light and/or the oil pressure warning light could turn on; you may smell fuel, burning or smoke; or you may notice oil leaks. If you continue to drive the vehicle with these symptoms, the engine could fail and/or a fire could occur. An engine failure can cause a sudden loss of power with an inability to restart.
Note: For the Optima model, only the Optima Hybrid is affected by this recall.
Safety Risk:
An engine compartment fire can create a risk of injury. A sudden loss of engine power could increase the risk of a crash.
Corrective Action:
Kia will notify owners by mail and instruct you to take your vehicle to a dealer for an inspection of the engine and engine compartment. The dealer will inspect for fuel and/or engine oil leaks, perform an engine test and make any repairs, including engine replacement, if necessary. Kia will also perform a Knock Sensor Detection System (KSDS) software update free of charge, once it is available for your vehicle. This update will detect and prevent engine damage from worn connecting rod bearings.
Issue:
Kia Canada is conducting a Product Improvement Campaign that provides an update to the engine control module to detect potential problems before an engine fails. An engine failure may cause a sudden loss of power with an inability to restart.
Safety Risk:
A sudden loss of engine power could increase the risk of a crash.
Corrective Actions:
The company will notify owners by mail. Owners will be instructed to take their vehicle to a dealer to update the software for the engine control module.
Issue:
Kia Canada is conducting a Product Improvement Campaign that provides an update to the engine control module to detect potential problems before an engine fails. An engine failure may cause a sudden loss of power with an inability to restart.
Safety Risk:
A sudden loss of engine power could increase the risk of a crash.
Corrective Actions:
The company will notify owners by mail. Owners will be instructed to take their vehicle to a dealer to update the software for the engine control module.
Note: Vehicles repaired under Service Campaign SC025 already have this software update.
Issue:
Kia Canada is conducting a Product Improvement Campaign that provides an update to the engine control module to detect potential problems before an engine fails. An engine failure may cause a sudden loss of power with an inability to restart.
Safety Risk:
A sudden loss of engine power could increase the risk of a crash.
Corrective Actions:
The company will notify owners by mail. Owners will be instructed to take their vehicle to a dealer to update the software for the engine control module.
Note: Vehicles repaired under Service Campaign SC023 already have this software update.
Issue:
The engine oil pan seal could leak on some vehicles with a 2.4 L engine. If the leak is not repaired, over time this could lead to engine damage or an engine failure. An engine failure would cause a sudden loss of motive power with an inability to restart.
Safety Risk:
A sudden loss of motive power could increase the risk of a crash. In some cases, an engine failure may also result in a fire.
Corrective Actions:
The company will notify owners by mail. The corrective actions for this recall are under development.
Note: A driver may notice any of the following symptoms before an engine failure: an oil leak under the vehicle, a smell of hot or burning oil, a knocking sound from the engine, reduced power or hesitation, a check engine light, and/or an oil pressure warning light.
Issue:
When the engine was replaced under warranty or under Kia's Product Improvement Campaign SC023, the high pressure fuel pipe may not have been properly installed on the fuel pump outlet. A fuel leak could occur if the pipe was damaged, misaligned or improperly torqued during the recall repair.
Safety Risk:
Leaking fuel in the presence of an ignition source could increase the risk of a fire.
Corrective Actions:
The company will notify owners by mail. Owners will be instructed to take their vehicle to a dealer for an inspection. If fuel leakage is detected, the fuel pipe will be replaced with a new one.
On certain vehicles, when repairs were completed under recall campaign 2017-199 (Kia RC109), the high pressure fuel pipe may not have been properly installed on the fuel pump outlet. A fuel leak could occur if the pipe was damaged, misaligned or improperly torqued during the recall repair. A fuel leak, in the presence of an ignition source, could create the risk of a fire causing injury and/or damage to property. Correction: Dealers will inspect the connections of the high pressure fuel pipe to the fuel pump outlet for leaking fuel. If leaking fuel is detected, the fuel pipe will be replaced with a new one.
On certain vehicles equipped with 2.0L and 2.4L engines, the engine may contain residual metallic debris from factory machining operations. If debris is present, it could potentially restrict oil flow to the main bearings and rod bearings and could lead to premature wear. If the vehicle continues to be driven with worn bearings, the bearings could fail, which could cause an engine stall while the vehicle is in motion, resulting in loss of motive power which could increase the risk of a crash causing injury and/or property damage. Worn bearings could also result in the illumination of the oil pressure lamp in the instrument cluster. Correction: Dealers will inspect, and if necessary, replace the engine sub-assembly.
On certain vehicles, the connector pins within the Hydraulic Electronic Control Unit (HECU) assembly can corrode due to improper sealing of the HECU’s wire harness cover. If moisture and road salt reaches the HECU’s circuit board, electrical short circuits may occur to the circuit board, which could increase the risk of an underhood fire causing injury and/or property damage. Correction: Dealers will inspect the connector pins of the HECU for corrosion. If no corrosion is identified, dealers will replace the connector cover with a new one. If corrosion is present, dealers will replace the HECU assembly and connector cover with a new one. Note: The presence of salt water in the HECU does not affect brake performance.
Certain vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Canada Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 110 - Tire Selection and Rims. The certification label does not contain correct tire pressure information. Note: Correct tire pressure information can be found on the Tire Loading and Information label, directly below the certification label. Correction: Dealers will install a partial label overlay to block out the error, in addition a sticker with the correct tire pressures will be affixed to tire pressure information in the Owner’s manual.
On certain vehicles, the stop lamp switch may fail and cause intermittent operation of the brake lights. Failure of the brake lights to illuminate when the brake pedal is depressed could result in a crash causing property damage and/or personal injury. Correction: Dealers will replace the switch. Note: This is an expansion of recall 2013-098.
On certain vehicles, the stop lamp switch may fail and cause intermittent operation of the brake lights. Failure of the brake lights to illuminate when the brake pedal is depressed could result in a crash causing property damage and/or personal injury. Correction: Dealers will replace the switch.
On certain vehicles, the stop lamp switch may have been incorrectly installed during vehicle assembly. This could prevent proper brake lamp operation. Failure of the brake lamps to illuminate when the brakes are applied may result in the following road users being unaware of the driver's intentions, increasing the risk of a crash causing injury or death. A malfunction of the switch may also cause the brake lamps to remain illuminated when the brake pedal is released. Additionally, a faulty switch may affect the operation of the brake-transmission shift interlock on automatic transmission-equipped vehicles so that the transmission shifter would not be able to be shifted out of PARK position. It may also cause the Electronic Stability Control (ESC) light to illuminate, and it may not deactivate the cruise control when the brake pedal is depressed. Correction: Dealers will replace the stop lamp switch assembly.
On certain vehicles, heat generated by the engine causes repeated bending deformation of the polypropylene cooling fan and its retaining ring, which stresses the polypropylene, initiating cracking of the blades. The centrifugal forces generated by the rotation of the blades can cause the cracks to propagate until complete separation occurs. Separation of the fan blade(s) can create a risk of personal injury. Correction: Dealers will replace the engine cooling fan blade assembly.
On certain vehicles, an undersized parking brake ratchet pawl could wear prematurely, resulting in unexpected failure of the parking brake. Correction: Dealers will replace the parking brake engagement assembly.
On certain vehicles, fuel may leak from the o-ring seal into the internal vapour chamber located in the fuel tank at full tank conditions. As a result, it may be difficult to fill the gas tank and/or fuel may leak from the evaporative air filter inlet. Fuel leakage, in the presence of an ignition source, could result in a fire. Correction: Kia Canada Inc. has corrected all affected vehicles prior to distribution to dealers.
On certain vehicles, while cornering under conditions where Electronic Stability Program (ESP) activation may not be needed, a sensitive ESP may cause the engine to reduce power and the brake at one of the wheels to be applied without brake pedal application by the driver. This may cause the vehicle to slow and may affect the path that the vehicle is traveling. Brake application caused by inadvertent ESP activation may result in a crash. Correction: Dealers will reprogram the ESP Hydraulic Electronic Control Unit (HECU).
Certain vehicles may develop fuel leaks at the fuel pump outlet spigot located on top of the fuel pump cover plate. Fuel leakage in the presence of an ignition source could result in a fire. Correction: Dealers will replace the fuel pump outlet spigot with an improved version.
On certain vehicles, the front seat belt buckles may not latch properly, even though they emit a clicking sound during latching. Improperly latched buckles would not provide passenger restraint and could pull out at any time, especially during a collision. Correction: Dealers will replace the front seat belt buckles.
Certain vehicles do not comply with Regulation 6 - Statement of Compliance. The outer circle of the National Safety Mark was omitted and the vehicle type was not stated in both official languages on the compliance label. Correction: A correct National Safety Mark will be affixed to affected vehicles. An adhesive label, which indicates the vehicle type in both French and English, will be affixed to the permanent compliance label.
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