Kia Recalls Over 100,000 Cars for Faulty Digital Instrument Displays

Kia has issued a recall affecting a total of 108,936 cars in the United States. The reason for the recall is a faulty digital instrument cluster. This is a part of the car's dashboard that displays information like the speedometer, fuel gauge, and other important data.

According to the official document, the digital instrument cluster in the affected vehicles may not work correctly. This means that the information displayed on the cluster may be incorrect or missing entirely. As a result, the affected vehicles may not comply with the US's Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS).

The recall impacts various Kia models, including certain 2023 Kia Soul, Telluride, Niro Hybrid, Niro Plug-in Hybrid, Sportage, Sportage Hybrid, and Sportage Plug-in Hybrid vehicles. If you own one of these models, it's important to check whether your car is affected by the recall.

As per the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), certain Kia models have a faulty digital instrument cluster that comes with a 4.2-inch LCD screen. The display on this screen does not function correctly in the affected vehicles due to a glitchy instrument cluster software and electrical noise resulting from voltage instability during startup, which causes boot errors in the screen.

This issue can lead to the screen being blank while the vehicle is in operation, making it impossible for the driver to access crucial information required by the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS). The NHTSA also warns that this problem may prevent drivers from viewing essential data such as tyre pressure monitoring information, warning messages, and other important vehicle indicators, potentially leading to accidents.

Despite the seriousness of the issue, Kia claims that it has not received any reports of accidents or injuries related to the problem. However, owners of affected models should be aware of the potential safety risk and take their vehicles to a Kia dealership for a free repair if their car is part of the recall.

Kia has announced that it will be reaching out to owners of the affected vehicles and requesting that they take their cars to a nearby Kia dealership. Skilled service technicians will upgrade the vehicle's instrument cluster with improved software at no cost to the owner. In addition, Kia has stated that vehicle owners who have already paid to fix the issue may be eligible for reimbursement.

This is the latest recall for Kia models, with previous recalls having taken place earlier this year. In April, the South Korean automaker recalled over 51,000 Carnival minivans for sliding doors that could close on people, while in March, the Carnival and Telluride were included in an extended recall related to tow hitch harness fires.

If you own one of the affected Kia models, it's crucial that you take advantage of this recall and take your car to a Kia dealership for the free instrument cluster software update. This will ensure that your vehicle is compliant with the FMVSS and meets the necessary safety standards.