Massive Kia Recall: Sportage and Carnival Models at Risk for Roof Detachment

Putting Wind in Your Hair: An Unconventional Approach

The car manufacturer Kia has recently issued a recall for specific models of their Sportage and Carnival vehicles. This is due to a problem with the roof molding that can detach while driving. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has identified two possible reasons for this issue: an excessive amount of panel sealer may have been used, causing interference with the retaining clips, or the trimmings were incorrectly installed during the manufacturing process.

Interestingly, the two models that were brought back are put together in separate factories. The Kia Georgia facility is responsible for producing the Sportage, while the Carnival is manufactured in its country of origin, South Korea. This suggests that regardless of what triggered the problem, it can be traced back to an inaccurate instruction manual.

Last September, Kia made a discovery of a growing number of cases associated with the problem and initiated duplicity trials beginning October of last year. The recall pertains to 40,426 vehicles of the 2022-2023 Sportage and 60,623 cars of the 2022-2024 Carnival. Despite both models being relatively new, they have previously been subject to recalls for different matters.

As of now, there have been no collisions or injuries recorded. However, the company recommends that owners check for any loose trim pieces before embarking on a drive or if they notice any abnormal sounds while driving. Although it is highly unlikely, if the roof were to detach, it could cause serious harm to anyone nearby.

As a component of the solution initiative, Kia dealerships will arrange for the replacement or repair of roof moldings as needed. Owners who previously incurred expenses for addressing this problem will be eligible for reimbursement under a comprehensive plan. As this is a recall situation, Kia’s excellent warranty coverage will remain unaffected.

In order to prevent a recurrence of this problem, the car manufacturer has made enhancements to both their assembly procedure and training program. This supports the belief that the issue was likely caused by errors in the installation instructions. However, it should be noted that the retaining clips were also redesigned to avoid hindering proper application of excess roof panel sealant.

On March 12, Kia will begin issuing recall notifications to dealers before notifying owners of the potentially affected vehicles three days afterwards.