Over 44,000 Kia Carens Recalled Due To Issue With Airbag Control Unit Software

Kia India has issued a voluntary recall for the Carens MPV to inspect any potential error with the Airbag Control module/unit (ACU) software. The company has confirmed that 44,174 units of the Kia Carens will be part of this recall campaign, and Kia will directly reach out to the owners of the concerned vehicles to update them about this voluntary recall campaign. Customers of the affected vehicles would be required to get in touch with their respective Kia Authorized dealers to schedule an appointment. Kia will inspect the ACU module and if required, a software update will be provided free of cost.

Since its launch, Kia has sold nearly 48,000 units of the Carens MPV in India

In the official statement released by the company, the carmaker said, “This voluntary recall campaign is being undertaken by Kia India, to inspect any potential error in Airbag Control Module (ACU) software in the Kia Carens. The company will take utmost care to minimise inconvenience to customers throughout the process of this campaign.”

Also Read: Kia Carens 3-Row MPV Review

The Kia Carens was launched in India on February 15, 2022, and up until September 2022, the company had sold nearly 48,000 units of the MPV in India. Last month, in September 2022, Kia’s total sales stood at 25,857 units, out of which the Carens accounted for 5,233 units. Right now, the Kia Carents is priced in India at Rs. 9.60 lakh to Rs. 17.70 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi). 

The Kia Carens is the first and only mass-market vehicle in India to offer 6 airbags as standard fitment. 

The Kia Carens has been a successful product for the company, selling an average of up to 6,000 to 7000 units every month. In fact, it is the first and only mass-market vehicle in India to offer 6 airbags as standard fitment. That said, the MPV scored a barely acceptable safety rating of 3 stars at the Global NCAP crash test, conducted earlier this year.

The Kia Carens is offered in five variants - Premium, Prestige, Prestige Plus, Luxury and Luxury Plus and across three engine options along with the option of automatic gearboxes on two of the engines. The engine line-up includes a 113 bhp 1.5-litre naturally aspirated petrol, a 113bhp 1.5-litre turbo-diesel and a 138bhp 1.4-litre turbo-petrol mill. A 6-speed manual gearbox is standard across all three units with the turbo-petrol and diesel getting the option of a 7-speed DCT and 6-speed torque converter automatic units, respectively.