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NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation

Engineering Analysis EA09-017: Air Bag Occupant Classification System

  • Closed

NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation opened Engineering Analysis EA09-017 on November 19, 2009 and closed it on September 26, 2011. NHTSA's investigations file lists the 2007–2008 Kia Sorento for it and links recall 11V-473 to it.

Updated daily from NHTSA's investigations file

Key facts

NHTSA number
EA09-017 (also written EA09017)
Investigation type
Engineering Analysis A more detailed stage of a defect investigation, opened when NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation decides an issue merits further review, often after a Preliminary Evaluation or a Recall Query; it can include vehicle testing, surveys and further information requests.
Status
Closed September 26, 2011
Opened
Closed
Vehicle or equipment manufacturer
Kia America, Inc.
Components
Air Bags; Air Bags — Frontal; Air Bags — Frontal — Sensor/Control Module-Inactive
Recall linked by NHTSA
  • 11V-473: OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM, reported
Vehicles and equipment
2007–2008 Kia Sorento

NHTSA's summary

As NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation wrote it for Engineering Analysis EA09-017.

The Sorento's front passenger air bag may be turned off when an adult is seated in the passenger seat. The front passenger air bag is designed to be turned off in limited circumstances including when children and small adults are seated in the front passenger seat, there is a child restraint in that seat, or the seat is not occupied.

But the Sorento has misclassified adults sitting in the passenger seat.

This causes the passenger side frontal air bag to deactivate and the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light to illuminate. On May 12, 2009, Kia launched a Technical Service Bulletin campaign (SC076) to address this problem, installing upgraded occupant classification system (OCS) software in vehicles built prior to the 11/27/2007 production date. ODI and Kia identified 908 owner reports and 927 warranty claims related to this OCS issue.

Kia also reported one crash where the passenger frontal air bag did not deploy in a frontal crash due to misclassification.

Testing of Sorento vehicles built prior to December 2007 shows that misclassification can occur.

As of April 2011, Kia reports that approx. 46,000 of the 57,228 vehicles have been upgraded with the revised software.

On September 6, 2011, Kia submitted a defect notice and will recall the affected vehicles that have not been upgraded.

Owner notification is scheduled to start in late-September 2011.

The recall will upgrade the OCS software.

Accordingly the investigation is closed.

Vehicles and equipment listed for this investigation

NHTSA's investigations file lists these vehicles and equipment for Engineering Analysis EA09-017. A listed model year means only that an investigation names it; it says nothing about any particular vehicle. Model years with a try.vin recall page link to that page's NHTSA investigations section.

Kia

All Kia recalls

What an NHTSA investigation is

NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) looks into possible safety defects in vehicles and equipment, often after owner complaints. An investigation usually starts as a Preliminary Evaluation, or as a Recall Query when it concerns whether an existing recall covers the right vehicles or fixes the problem, and ODI can upgrade it to a more detailed Engineering Analysis. A Defect Petition asks NHTSA to open an investigation, and Audit and Equipment Queries are administrative investigations into whether companies complied with federal vehicle safety requirements, such as reporting, recall and certification rules.

An open investigation is not a finding that a safety defect exists, and NHTSA can close one without a recall.

To see whether a specific vehicle has an open recall, enter its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

Kia VIN check: decode a VIN to see its year, make and model.

Sources

NHTSA's investigation record for EA09-017

Investigation details come from NHTSA's investigations file, which try.vin imports once a day. The investigation types are described from the U.S. Department of Transportation Inspector General's May 2023 report on NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation, NHTSA's petition rules (49 CFR Parts 552 and 557) and NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation procedures. How try.vin reads NHTSA investigations.