Kia issued a recall affecting more than 21,000 EV9 SUVs because the airbag system may fail to detect a child in the front seat.
Kia recalls 21,290 EV9 SUVs MY2025-2026
In a letter sent to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) last week, Kia said it was recalling 21,290 EV9 SUVs model years 2025 and 2026.
The recall is due to improper routing of the Occupant Detection System (ODS) mat bladder tube by the supplier.
According to documents submitted to the NHTSA, the tube may get pinched after the front seat is adjusted several times. If this occurs, the system may fail to deactivate the airbag when a child or child seat is in the front seat.
Although Kia estimates only 6% of the EV9s included in the recall actually have the defect, the vehicles fail to meet Federal Vehicle Safety requirements.
Those with the defect may experience the airbag warning light pop up on the instrument panel or a seatbelt chime ring even if nobody is in the front seat.
2026 Kia EV9 (Source: Kia)
The EV9 vehicles included in the recall were produced at Kia’s manufacturing plant in Georgia. All 2025 EV9s and certain 2026 models are affected. Kia said 2025 EV9 SUVs built in Korea are not affected by the recall.
2026 Kia EV9 GT-Line interior (Source: Kia)
Kia will send owner notification letters starting on October 20, 2026. Those with affected models can bring the vehicle to a Kia dealer, where they will inspect and replace the ODS mat and bladder tube, if necessary, and ensure the routing is correct. The service will be free of charge.
Owners can contact Kia’s customer service at 1-800-333-4542 with questions. Kia’s recall number is SC379.
You can also call the NHTSA hotline at 1-888-327-4236 or visit NHTSA.gov for more information. The NHTSA campaign number is 26V545.
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