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NHTSA recall 16V815000

A recall listed here may apply to a vehicle of this year, make and model. Only the manufacturer can say whether it applies to one vehicle: check the VIN with the official lookups.

Campaign
Published byNHTSA (United States)
Campaign number16V815000
Manufacturer's numberSC138
ManufacturerKia Motors America
Reported2016-11-10
Owners notified2016-12-28
ComponentELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING
Units potentially affected71704
Remedy progress the manufacturer reported
ReportQuarterly report 7, for 2018 quarter 2
Filed with NHTSA2018-07-17
Vehicles in the campaign71704
Reported remedied36265 (50%)
Reported unreachable6088
Reported removed5582

These are the manufacturer's totals for the whole campaign at the end of 2018 quarter 2, as filed with NHTSA. They do not say whether one vehicle has been remedied: check the VIN with the official lookups. The reports are from data as of 2026-10-19.

What is wrong

Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain model year 2008-2009 Kia Sportage vehicles manufactured August 9, 2007, to May 13, 2009. The wire harness cover on the Hydraulic Electronic Control Unit (HECU) may be improperly sealed allowing water to get onto the HECU circuit board. If the water is contaminated with salt, such as could occur from melted snow, the wire harness connector pins may corrode and the circuit board may short circuit.

What can happen

If the HECU short circuits, there is an increased risk of an engine compartment fire.

The remedy

Kia will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the connector pins for corrosion, if no corrosion is found, the connector cover will be replaced. If corrosion is present, the dealer will replace the HECU assembly and the connector cover, free of charge. The recall began on November 28, 2016. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC138.

Notes

Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov.

Vehicles this campaign lists
2008 KIA SPORTAGEBuilt 2007-08-09 to 2009-05-13.
2009 KIA SPORTAGEBuilt 2007-08-09 to 2009-05-13.

A vehicle with no link is not in this site's catalog, which covers cars, multipurpose vehicles and trucks by model year. The campaign is from data as of 2026-10-19.

Check one vehicle officially