Vehicle Recall Check
Latches, locks and linkages

KIA latches, locks and linkages recall — 21V622000

Kia Motors America reported recall 21V622000 to NHTSA on August 9, 2021.

Latches, locks and linkages

21V622000

Official NHTSA text (English)

Defect summary

Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2016-2018 Forte 4-door, Forte Koup 2-door, and 2018-2019 Rio 4-door vehicles. The trunk latch may become damaged, preventing the opening of the trunk from the inside. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 401, "Internal Trunk Release."

Consequence

A person inside the trunk compartment may become trapped, increasing their risk of injury.

Remedy

Dealers will replace the trunk latch assembly, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on February 10, 2022. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC216.

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.nhtsa.gov.

ManufacturerKia Motors America
ComponentLATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:TRUNK LID:LATCH
Campaign number21V622000
MakeKIA
Model year2016–2019
Report receivedAugust 9, 2021
Source: NHTSA — National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
Campaign number: 21V622000 · Report received: August 9, 2021
https://www.nhtsa.gov/recalls?nhtsaId=21V622000

What does this record mean?

Kia Motors America reported recall 21V622000 to NHTSA on August 9, 2021. The record falls under latches, locks and linkages and covers 5 make-model-year combinations across KIA, model years 2016–2019.

A recall is the manufacturer identifying a safety-related defect or a non-compliance with a standard in a group of vehicles, and reporting it officially. It does not mean the whole vehicle is faulty: it covers a specific condition found in a specific part, within a specific build range.

This record concerns the body structure, seats or latches and locks. Records in this family can involve the structure not behaving as designed in a crash, or a component opening unexpectedly.

What should I do?

If a door, hood or trunk latch behaves unusually, or a seat has play or makes noise, contact the dealer. If the record concerns the hood latch, check each time that the hood is fully closed until the remedy is applied.

Work carried out under a recall is done at no cost to the owner. This does not depend on the vehicle still being in warranty: a recall is not a warranty claim, it is a separate obligation. The dealer should not charge you for labour or parts.

Whether a record covers your vehicle is determined by make, model and model year — but not every vehicle of that model year is necessarily included. The manufacturer usually covers a specific build date range. Only a VIN-based lookup gives a definite answer.

Where is the VIN?

The VIN has 17 characters and appears in four places: on a plate at the lower left corner of the windscreen, on the label inside the driver's door jamb, on the registration document, and on most vehicles on a label in the engine bay. VINs never use the letters I, O or Q; the similar-looking characters are the digits 1, 0 and 9.

Before you go to the dealer

The work is done at the manufacturer's authorised dealer. Quoting the campaign number when you book shortens the process, because the dealer can order the part in advance. If you are not sure whether your vehicle is covered, verify it on the manufacturer's own VIN lookup page; that link is provided on this page.

Before you go to the dealer, have three things ready: the VIN, the registration document and the campaign number. If you have seen a symptom related to the defect, note when and under what conditions; that speeds up diagnosis. Keep the paperwork showing the work that was done: it is useful when you sell the vehicle or if a second record appears.

Source and currency

The official text on this page is reproduced exactly as NHTSA published it. It has not been summarised, rewritten or interpreted. The rest of the page is written in this language.

NHTSA records cover vehicles sold in the US market. A model with the same name sold in Europe or elsewhere may have been built with different equipment and different suppliers, so whether a record covers your vehicle is settled only by the manufacturer's own lookup.

When a record stops appearing in the source, this page is taken down the same day and the address returns a 410 response; no text is left behind. If you have an objection about a record, you can send it from the correction page.

Frequently asked

What does recall 21V622000 cover?

The record falls under latches, locks and linkages and covers vehicles from KIA in model years 2016–2019. The detail is in the official text on this page.

How do I know if my vehicle is included?

If make, model and model year match, your vehicle may be included; but the manufacturer usually covers a specific build date range. Only a VIN lookup gives a definite answer.

Is there a charge?

No. Recall work is free of charge and independent of warranty.

How soon should I have it done?

There is no reason to wait. If a part has to be ordered the dealer will give you a date; in the meantime follow the advisories shown on this page.

Why is the official text in English?

Because that is the record NHTSA published. It is not summarised, rewritten or interpreted; the rest of the page is in this language.

Manufacturer's own VIN lookup page