— Kia is recalling more than 2,500 Soul and Seltos vehicles because the side curtain airbags may suddenly deploy without crash impacts.
The 2023 Kia Soul and 2024 Kia Selto vehicles may have been affected by welding errors in the stored gas sections of the hybrid airbag inflators.
According to Kia:
"Supplier welding setup error can cause the diffuser disk within the hybrid inflator to break, releasing the stored gas and inadvertently inflating the side curtain airbag."
In addition to an occupant being smacked by an airbag, an incident could cause a driver a serious distraction.
A dealer contacted Kia in July about a side curtain airbag that inflated on a parked 2023 Kia Soul. Technicians could find no evidence of an impact, no diagnostic trouble codes and no airbag deployment record.
Kia could find no cause for the deployed side curtain airbag and decided to repurchase the vehicle to inspect things further.
In September, Kia received a complaint about a side curtain airbag that inadvertently inflated in a parked 2023 Kia Soul. Once again, no evidence of an impact, no diagnostic trouble codes and no airbag deployment record.
Engineers checked the event data recorder from the first Kia Soul and confirmed the airbag control unit did not command the side curtain airbag to deploy.
By the end of September, no other incidents had been reported, but Kia still had not found a cause for the first two events.
Finally in November, x-rays confirmed both airbag infators "appeared to have broken diffuser disks."
The airbag diffuser disk welding setup errors have not caused any crashes or injuries.
About 270 of the Kia vehicles are recalled in Canada.
Kia will mail airbag recall letters January 31, 2024, and dealers will replace both side curtain airbag modules if necessary.
Kia Seltos and Soul owners may call 800-333-4542. Kia's number for this airbag recall is SC289.
