Kia America is recalling over 80,000 cars because floor wiring under the front passenger seat can break and make it difficult for seat belts and airbags to deploy correctly.
According to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration documentation, damaged wiring may cause unintentional side curtain airbag deployment.
The recall includes 80,255 Niro EV, PHEV, and hybrid cars manufactured in 2023–2025.
Dealers will check, repair, and rewire the floor wiring assembly for free to fix the issue. Dealers will also put wiring covers in place. Letters will be mailed in March to notify owners.
The recall comes after Hyundai and Kia recalled more than 208,000 electric cars in November to replace a potentially broken transistor in a charging control unit that was preventing the 12-volt battery from charging. This could then result in a loss of drive power, raising the possibility of an accident.
