A small number of 2024 model year Kia Sportage crossovers produced at the automaker's plant in Georgia have been hit with a safety recall over a loss of power steering. The root cause for this? According to Kia America, the printed circuit board in the motor-driven power steering power pack had been manufactured with contaminated flux.
The resulting short leads to the loss of power steering assist, which could take many drivers by surprise if the short happens at highway speeds. The MDPS power pack supplier is listed as Opelika, Alabama-based HL Mando America.
An estimated 1,075 vehicles may have been produced with contaminated PCBs, with production dates ranging between April 30, 2024 and May 23, 2024. The folks at Kia America started looking into this problem in the latter part of May 2024, following a dealer techline report alleging no power steering assist on a brand-new Sportage.
Kia Georgia collected the MDPS unit and the steering column of the affected 2024 Kia Sportage for evaluation. Mere days later, Kia America confirmed that solder flux contamination at the supplier's production facility was the root cause. Prior to filing the recall documentation with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the automaker identified two reports of power steering assist loss consistent with the described condition.
No crashes or injuries have been reported. As you might have guessed by now, the remedy comes in the form of a new motor-driven power steering power pack assembly devoid of contaminated flux on the printed circuit board. Sportage vehicles produced at Kia's West Point facility in Georgia after May 24, 2024 feature uncontaminated PCBs.
Photo: Kia
Dealers have already been informed about said recall, which is dubbed 24V-422 by the NHTSA or SC319 in Kia vernacular. Owners will be notified via first-class mail on or about August 6, 2024. Those who intend to find out sooner if their Sportages have been recalled can do exactly that by running the VIN on the automaker's recall portal.
Being assembled in the United States, all of the affected crossovers feature 17-character VINs beginning with the number 5, whereas the letter K stands for South Korea. The front-biased crossover sold 37,286 units in the first quarter of 2024 in the United States, while 140,780 units were delivered throughout 2023 in this part of the world. Otherwise put, Sportage is Kia America's best-selling nameplate, besting the Forte and Telluride.
Slotted between the Seltos and Sorento, the 2024 Kia Sportage carries a starting price of $27,190 for the LX with front-wheel drive. All-wheel drive adds $1,800 to the tally. In addition to all-wheel drive with a center locking differential, this optional extra further includes a space-saver spare tire, heated side mirrors, and heated front seats.
The combustion-only Sportage is joined by the Sportage Hybrid at $28,590 and the Sportage Plug-In Hybrid at $39,590 (before destination charge). As opposed to the 2.5L NA four-cylinder in the Sportage, the hybrid siblings feature a turbocharged four-cylinder with a displacement of 1.6 liters.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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