8:59 am, June 1, 2013
KIA is recalling more than 25,000 cars in the UK for a ‘possible’ faulty brake light switch.
The firm has announced that it wants to replace the brake lights on 25,192 vehicles built between 2006 and 2011.
A number of Kia’s models are affected – namely the previous model Carens, Sedona, Sorento and Sportage, some current Sorento and Soul models, and a very small number of Optima models.
In a press release, Kia Motors UK said: ‘On-going monitoring of vehicle operations and research and development checks have discovered that in certain circumstances the faulty switch may cause the vehicle’s rear brake lights to not illuminate – or may not turn off after the brake pedal is released.’
The problem is caused by carbonisation on the switch contacts that can lead to the electric current being interrupted.
‘The problem does not affect the braking performance or the operation of anti-lock brakes in any way. Kia Motors (UK) Limited is not aware of any accidents being caused by this problem,’ the press release added.
Owners of affected vehicles will be contacted by Kia and will be invited to take their vehicles to their local dealer where the switch will be replaced free of charge. The switch change takes just a few minutes to complete and no other work is required.
Any owner can contact Kia Customer Services on 0800 0158757 for further information.
The models affected
1,128 Sedona models built between November 2006 and June 2007
4,246 previous model Sorento units built between May 2007 and December 2008
8,080 previous model Sportage units built between September 2007 and January 2010
3,535 previous model Carens units built between March 2008 and November 2009
3,525 current Sorento units built between October 2009 and April 2011
4,676 Soul units built between June 2010 and June 2011 Two Optima models built between August 2010 and April 2011
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