The Korean car maker Kia is recalling more than 10,000 units of the Sorento SUV belonging to the 2007 and 2008 model years (manufactured from July 15, 2006 through November 27, 2007), due to an airbag deactivation problem.
It seems that the sensor that deactivates the airbag when you install a child seat at the front passenger side may suffer a malfunction and deactivate the airbag outside of situations. This means that an adult can be in the seat and not have an airbag, which can lead to severe injury or even death in case of a brutal car crash.
“THE PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG IS TURNED OFF WHEN THE OCS MISCLASSIFIES AN ADULT PASSENGER. WITH THE FRONT PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF, THE FRONT PASSENGER WILL NOT HAVE THE PROTECTION OF THE PASSENGER AIR BAGS IN SOME FRONTAL COLLISIONS, THUS INCREASING THE RISK OF OCCUPANT INJURY.“
According to NHTSA, the sensor malfunction in triggered when an adult with a weight over the average one is in the seat, with the “passenger airbag off” warning light coming on.
As normal, the manufacturer Kia will contact the owners of the cars involved in order to have the issue fixed at no charge. The company’s dealers will reprogram the OCS of the affected vehicles.
Photo Source: ES.AutoBlog
