Kia America, Inc. Occupant Detection System May Fail to Suppress Air Bag/FMVSS 208 Recall (October 2026)
Announced 2026-08-21 · NHTSA
Kia America, Inc. is recalling certain 2025-2026 EV9 vehicles due to improper routing of the Occupant Detection System, which may fail to deactivate the air bag when a child or child seat is in the front passenger seat and may not comply with FMVSS 208. Dealers will inspect and replace the ODS mat and bladder tube with a new one and ensure proper routing, free of charge. Owner notification letters will be mailed beginning October 20, 2026, and VINs involved will be searchable on NHTSA.gov starting September 4, 2026.
| Brand | Kia America, Inc. |
|---|---|
| Product | Occupant Detection System May Fail to Suppress Air Bag/FMVSS 208 |
| Reason | 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." |
| Severity | moderate |
| Units affected | 21290 |
| Distribution | Nationwide |
| Agency | NHTSA |
| Recall / campaign no. | SC379 |
WHAT YOU SHOULD DO
- Schedule service with an authorized Kia dealer to have the ODS mat and bladder tube inspected and replaced and routing corrected at no charge.
- Wait for owner notification letters beginning October 20, 2026.
- If you have questions, contact Kia Customer Service at 1-800-333-4542.
- Check if your VIN is affected on NHTSA.gov starting September 4, 2026.
VERIFIED SOURCES
This is an automatically maintained record of an official recall notice. Details can change; always follow the official notice linked above. See all records in the Recall Database.