2009 Kia Borrego recalled over loose headliner plates

Kia has issued a recall that applies to nearly 23,000 units of the Borrego, a big SUV with body-on-frame construction. The vehicles included in the campaign are fitted with headliner plates that can come loose during an accident if the impact is strong enough to deploy the airbags.

Assigned recall number 23V-692 by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the campaign includes 22,768 units of the Borrego built between the 2009 and 2014 model years. Kia estimates that the defect is present in about 1% of the recalled

SUVs. The firm adds that 22,700 of the recalled units were built between May 2, 2008, and January 20, 2009, and sold as 2009 models, which was the Borrego’s first, last, and only model year in the nation’s 50 states. The remaining 68 units were built between October 20, 2009, and May 14, 2013, and sold between the 2010 and 2014 model years in United States Territories such as Puerto Rico, Guam, and American Samoa. 

Kia notes that “insufficient adhesive may have been applied to secure the headliner plate to the headliner” during the manufacturing process. As a result, the headliner plate(s) can come loose if the side curtain airbags deploy, which increases the risk of an injury to the occupants. Kia states that it’s not aware of injuries or deaths linked to the problem, however, but it has received one customer complaint.

Owners of affected SUVs will need to visit an authorized Kia dealer

so that a technician can add “industrial-grade adhesive tape” over the left and right headliner plates to ensure they don’t fly across the cabin if the side curtain airbags deploy. Motorists who have already paid to get this problem fixed will be able to claim a refund. Kia will begin notifying owners by mail on November 30, 2023.

Kia recalled 2012 and 2013 Optima models to fix a similar issue in August 2022 after getting sued by a driver who was injured in a crash. The campaign included every Optima built in the brand’s Georgia plant during those two models years, which amounted to 257,998 units.