4:46 am, September 3, 2010
KIA will be recalling certain Soul and Sorento models over a fire risk, Car Dealer can reveal.
A problem that manifested itself in the US has found certain cars with ‘mood lighting’ are a potential fire risk.
Only 73 Souls sold in the UK are affected as the mood lighting option wasn’t one of the most popular, but 476 new Sorentos are also affected.
Kia will be communicating with customers in the next week.
‘Letters will be sent out,’ said a spokesman for Kia. ‘It affects a very small number. To put the 73 Souls affected into perspective, only 400 across the whole of Europe are affected out of 31,000 sold.
‘No vehicle has caught fire – it’s just a precautionary measure. It’s only on the models where mood lighting was an option.’
Mood lighting goes around speaker surrounds on Soul models (pictured) and on the Sorento it can be found in the door pulls and centre console.
A problem with the wiring can cause it to overheat and although no problems have been found in Europe, the problems in the US have been enough to spark the recall.
The Souls affected were sold and manufactured between September 2009 and June 2010 and the Sorento between September 2009 and July 2010.
Exclusive by JAMES BAGGOTT
