Crossing the Blues

Thursday, September 2, 2010

Kia Recalling 2010 Soul and 2011 Sorento for Electrical Issues


The first recall of the month comes from Kia, which is recalling approximately 23,973 Soul subcompacts from the 2010MY and around 11,213 Sorento crossovers from the 2011MY, all built from September 7, 2009 through July 30, 2010, due to a potential fault with the vehicles' electrical system.

In a letter to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA), the South Korean automaker said a limited number of wiring harnesses supplied by JCI and used in the Soul's lighting speaker system, located in the front door trim panels, and the Sorento's interior accent illumination, placed in the front and rear door trim panels, may have been improperly soldered.

Even though there are no reports of accidents or injuries, the safety agency said under certain conditions, an electrical short may occur and result in a fire.

Company officials said dealers will replace the wiring harnesses for the lights on both vehicles, free of charge with the recall expected to begin later this month.