A defective brake pedal on the 2009 Borrego forces Kia's second recall in two days.
It’s not been a good week for Kia – nor its customers. The Korean carmaker has announced its second recall in two days, the pair of problems involving nearly 100,000 utility vehicles and sedans due to brake and airbag problems.
The latest service action involves 21,912 Kia Borrego crossover/utility vehicles sold during the 2009 model-year. The problem involves a brake pedal mount that could break lose during a collision, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
It might sound moot at that point but NHTSA notes that a motorist wouldn’t be able to stop the vehicle from continuing to roll and possibly becoming involved in a second accident.
The vehicles affected by the latest recall were produced between May 2, 2008 and January 20, 2009 and are designated 2009 models. An owner can verify if they have one of the vehicles likely covered by the recall by checking the date of manufacture which is noted on a plate in the driver’s door jamb.
Yesterday’s recall involved approximately 73,000 subcompact Kia Rio models produced during the 2006 through 2008 model-years.
The maker confirmed a problem with the front airbag sensor designed to detect who is sitting in the passenger seat. If a child were detected the sensor is supposed to automatically disable the right front airbag to prevent injuries. Children may not be able to tolerate the blow of an inflating airbag, unlike adults.
The Kia Rio models affected by the airbag recall were produced between February 20, 2005 and December 9, 2007. As with the brake pedal problem, owners can find the date of manufacture in the door jam.
Kia separately intends to notify owners of affected vehicles to alert them to the two recalls. But, in some cases, it can be difficult to reach owners who purchased their vehicles on the used car market. Additional information on both call-backs can be obtained from Kia at (800)-333-4542.
Repairs will be made at no charge to owners, the maker reported.