NHTSA safety recall
Recall 26V545000: AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION:FRONT PASSENGER
Kia America, Inc. · Reported to NHTSA Aug 21, 2026
Recalls apply to specific vehicles, not to every vehicle of a model year. Check your VIN with NHTSA or your manufacturer's dealer to confirm whether a recall affects your vehicle.
Check a VIN on NHTSA.govWhat this recall covers
NHTSA's campaign record, quoted as published
The defect
Kia America, Inc (Kia) is recalling certain 2025-2026 EV9 vehicles. Due to improper routing, the Occupant Detection System (ODS) may not deactivate the air bag when a child or child seat is in the front passenger seat. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."
The risk
A child in the front seat may be at a greater risk of injury if the air bag deploys during a crash.
The remedy
Dealers will inspect and replace the ODS mat and bladder tube with a new one and ensure proper routing as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters will be mailed beginning October 20, 2026. Owners may contact Kia Customer Service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC379. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will become searchable on NHTSA.gov on September 4, 2026.
A safety recall is issued when a manufacturer or NHTSA determines that a vehicle has a safety-related defect or does not comply with a federal motor vehicle safety standard. Recall repairs are free. Whether a specific vehicle is covered depends on its VIN — a recall listed for a model year does not necessarily apply to every vehicle of that year.
Campaign details
Identifiers and dates as filed with NHTSA
- Manufacturer
- Kia America, Inc.
- Manufacturer's campaign number
- SC379
- NHTSA campaign number
- 26V545000
- Units potentially affected
- 21,290
- Report received
- Aug 21, 2026
- Production range
- May 17, 2024 – May 13, 2026
- Campaign type
- Vehicle
- Federal safety standard (FMVSS)
- 208
Vehicles covered
2 model years across 1 model
Recalls apply to specific vehicles, not to every vehicle of a model year. Check your VIN with NHTSA or your manufacturer's dealer to confirm whether a recall affects your vehicle.