4:38 pm, February 1, 2021
Kia has announced the recall of the latest Sorento model over a faulty emergency call system.
Sorento models made between September 1 and December 14, 2020, are affected by the fault which could stop the car’s emergency call function from operating correctly.
When operating correctly, the eCall system automatically transmits the car’s vehicle identification number (VIN) to an emergency call centre if the system detects that an accident has taken place.
However, in the affected vehicles, if an airbag is deployed then the VIN would not be transmitted, potentially putting the car’s occupants at risk.
The manufacturer says Kia dealers are able to reset the eCall system so that the system operates as it should and automatically sends out the VIN regardless of whether the airbags have been fired.
The Korean firm says that only 965 cars in the UK are affected and it is unaware of any injuries or accidents which have come from the issue.
The carmaker is currently in the process of contacting owners with vehicles affected by the problem and arranging an appointment at nearby dealers for the eCall system to be reset.
All work will be carried out with social distancing measures in place and should not take more than 30 minutes, says the brand, though the firm is asking customers to schedule up to one hour to take into account vehicle handling.
The new Sorento was revealed in full in March last year, bringing a striking new look to the firm’s large SUV.
Wider and longer than the car it replaces, the Sorento utlises a hybrid powertrain as standard, though a plug-in hybrid setup was introduced more recently.
Kia recently unveiled an all new logo which it says signifies its ‘bold transformation and all-new brand purpose’.
As well as the new logo, it also revealed a new global brand slogan – ‘Movement that inspires’.
