— A Kia trunk latch recall includes more than 285,000 model year 2016-2018 Kia Forte, Kia Forte Koup and 2018-2019 Kia Rio vehicles.
The automaker says the trunk latch may become damaged and prevent the opening of the trunk from the inside.
Kia learned in July that Hyundai was considering a recall of Sonatas due to the emergency trunk release mechanisms, and certain Kia models used the same mechanisms.
Hyundai had determined a damaged trunk pawl could prevent the internal trunk latch from opening the trunk.
In high temperatures cracks can occur in the pawl of the trunk latch which makes the emergency release inoperable. In the event a person gets trapped in the trunk, they may not be able to get out. In addition, the latch problem is a violation of federal safety standards.
Other than getting trapped in a Kia trunk, an owner may know of a problem if the trunk has trouble opening or closing.
Kia says it doesn't know of any injuries or deaths, but the automaker has received 41 warranty claims, three technical assistance case center reports and two "customer pay claims."
More than 253,000 Kia vehicles are recalled in the U.S. and 32,274 are recalled in Canada.
Kia dealerships will replace the trunk latch assemblies and owners should expect recall details in the mail after October 5, 2021.
Kia Forte, Kia Forte Koup and Kia Rio owners may contact Kia at 800-333-4542 and refer to recall number SC216.
The same trunk latch problem caused a recall of more than 363,000 Hyundai vehicles.
