Kia is recalling 40,817 examples of its Carnival people mover, Cerato small sedan and hatch, and Soul small crossover due to a manufacturing issue that may prevent the airbags from deploying.

    This recall affects all Carnival, Cerato and Soul variants produced between 2016 and 2018.

    “Due to a manufacturing issue, the Airbag Control Unit (ACU) cover and the Electronically Erasable Programming Read-Only Memory (EEPROM) chip may have been produced with insufficient clearance,” the company says in its recall notice.

    “This could cause the airbag warning lights to illuminate and the airbags may not deploy.”

    If you own an affected vehicle, you’ll need to contact your nearest Kia dealer to arrange a free inspection and fix.

    “If the Airbag Warning Light is illuminated, and Fault Code B162000 is stored, the dealer will replace the ACU with an improved unit,” says the Korean brand in its recall notice.

    “If the Airbag Warning Light is not illuminated, a software update will be performed to the ACU ensuring deployment of the Airbag(s) in the event of an accident.”

    If you have any further questions, you can call Kia Australia on 131 542.

    MORE: Everything Kia CarnivalKia Cerato • Kia Soul

    Jack Quick

    Jack Quick is an automotive journalist based in Melbourne. Jack studied journalism and photography at Deakin University in Burwood, and previously represented the university in dance nationally. In his spare time, he loves to pump Charli XCX and play a bit of Grand Theft Auto. He’s also the proud owner of a blue, manual 2020 Suzuki Jimny.

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