Kia Motors is recalling 308,000 vehicles and advising owners to park their vehicles outside due to the risk of an engine fire.
The affected vehicles are the Kia Sportage SUVs and Cadenza sedan models manufactured between 2017 and 2021, according to the Associated Press. Kia plans to start notifying vehicle owners starting April 30. Owners can take their cars to their Kia dealership to have their engines inspected and replaced if necessary.
Kia recalls 380,000 U.S. vehicles for fire risks https://t.co/EM7rZq4b7i pic.twitter.com/8aPlts8moA
— Reuters (@Reuters) March 9, 2021
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) discovered that the engines of some Kia models posed a risk of catching on fire in December 2020. (RELATED: California To Ban New Gas-Powered Vehicle Sales By 2035, Newsom Says)
The agency launched an investigation into the auto manufacturer after receiving more than 3,000 reports of vehicle fires from 2019. The investigation concluded that Kia and its parent company Hyundai were responsible for paying $210 million in civil penalties because they acted too slowly in recalling more than a million vehicles with faulty engines.
“Safety is NHTSA’s top priority,” said NHTSA Deputy Administrator James Owens during their December 2020 investigation.
Kia says it hasn’t received any new reports of crashes, injuries, or vehicle fires related to this latest recall, according to the Associated Press.
Kia owners can check if their vehicle is affected by this most recent recall by entering their Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) on the NHTSA’s website.