1997 Kia Sportage Air Bags

WHILE SITTING IN THE VEHICLE, STATIONARY IN A PARKING LOT TALKING WITH MY WIFE, THE AIRBAGS DEPLOYED.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1997 KIA SPORTAGE. WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY, THE AIR BAGS DEPLOYED UNEXPECTEDLY WHILE THE DRIVER AND PASSENGER SEATS WERE OCCUPIED. THERE WERE NO INJURIES. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO KIA OF WILMINGTON (1603 PENNSYLVANIA AVE, WILMINGTON, DE 19806, (302) 656-3100) WHERE THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS TOO OLD TO DIAGNOSED WHY THE AIR BAGS DEPLOYED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 176,620. *BP*JB

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1997 KIA SPORTAGE. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS STOPPED, THE DRIVER'S SIDE AIR BAG DEPLOYED WITHOUT WARNING OR IMPACT. THERE WERE NO INJURIES. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO A DEALER TO BE DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED AND STATED THAT THEY WOULD OPEN A CASE FOR THE CONTACT. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 160,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1997 KIA SPORTAGE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING IN REVERSE, THE DRIVER'S SIDE AIR BAGS ERRONEOUSLY DEPLOYED FROM THE STEERING WHEEL AND FROM UNDER THE STEERING WHEEL AREA. THE LOWER AIR BAG STRUCK THE CONTACT IN THE HIP AREA AND THE STEERING WHEEL AIR BAG STRUCK THE CONTACT IN THE FACE, CAUSING MINOR INJURIES. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 125,226.

I PURCHASED A 2007 KIA OPTIMA USED IN OCTOBER 2007. THE CAR HAD ROUGHLY 18,000 MILES ON IT WHEN I PURCHASED IT. SHORTLY AFTER THE WARRANTY EXPIRED IN LATE 2009, THE DRIVER'S SIDE AIRBAG LIGHT CAME ON AND HAS REMAINED ON EVER SINCE. THE PASSENGER SIDE AIRBAG LIGHT IS ALWAYS ON, EVEN WHEN A NORMAL-SIZED ADULT SITS IN THE PASSENGER SEAT.

DT: DRIVER'S SIDE AIR BAG DEPLOYED WHILE CONSUMER WAS DRIVING IN REVERSE BACKING FROM A DRIVEWAY AT LOW SPEED. THERE WAS NO CRASH OR IMPACT. THIS HAPPENED WITHOUT ANY WARNING. NO LIGHTS ILLUMINATED OR WARNING SIGNALS. THE CAR HAD BEEN PARKED IN A SHADED AREA FOR ABOUT AN HOUR WHEN THIS OCCURRED. CONSUMER'S HUSBAND DROVE VEHICLE HOME AFTER THE INCIDENT. HAVE NOT TAKEN THIS TO A DEALER FOR THIS ISSUE, VEHICLE WAS PARKED AFTERWARDS AND HAS NOT BEEN DRIVEN SINCE. NO EXPLANATION OR CLUE AS TO WHY THIS HAPPENED. *NM

DT: THE CONTACT STATED AT 15 MPH AIRBAGS DEPLOYED FOR NO REASON. HE DID NOT RUN OVER ANYTHING. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN IN AN ACCIDENT SINCE HE PURCHASED IT. HE HAS TRIED CONTACTING THE LOCAL DEALERSHIP, BUT EVERY TIME HE CALLED HE WAS PLACED ON HOLD. THEREFORE, HE HAS NOT HAD THE VEHICLE REPAIRED AT THIS TIME. *AK

DT: CONSUMER STATES: THE DRIVER'S AIR BAGS DISCHARGED WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD, WAS SLOWING DOWN FOR A STOP LIGHT.*AK

WHILE DRIVING AT 25 MPH CONSUMER'S VEHICLE REAR ENDED ANOTHER VEHICLE. CONSUMER WAS WEARING A SEAT BELT, BUT THE AIR BAG DID NOT DEPLOY. CONSUMER AND THE OTHER VEHICLE'S DRIVER VISITED THE HOSPITAL FOR MINOR INJURIES.*AK *NM

WHILE DRIVING AT 35 MPH CONSUMER'S VEHICLE WAS INVOLVED IN A REAR END COLLISION. UPON IMPACT, AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. *AK

THE AIR BAGS DEPLOYED WHILE THE CONSUMER WAS SITTING IN A PARKING LOT. THE MANUFACTURER STATED THEY NEEDED TO INSPECT THE VEHICLE, HOWEVER NO ASSISTANCE WITH THE TOWING WOULD BE PROVIDED. *AK THE VEHICLE WAS IN THE PARK POSITION WHEN THE FAILURE OCCURRED. *SC

CONSUMER WAS DRIVING WHEN THE DRIVER'S AIRBAGS DEPLOYED VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER. MANUFACTURER WAS SUPPOSED TO INSPECT THE VEHICLE. HOWEVER THEY NEVER CAME TO INSPECT. MANUFACTURER OFFERED TO REPLACE THE DEDUCTIBLE.*AK

1997 SPORTAGE KIA WITH 67000 MILES, DEALER MAINTAINED NOW HAS A "FAULTY AIRBAG" SIGNAL THAT INDICATES POSSIBILITY THAT AIRBAG MAY NOT DEFLATE IN AN ACCIDENT. NO ACCIDENTS OF ANY KIND. *JB

WHILE BACKING OUT OF GARAGE AND WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING AIR BAG KNEE BOLSTER WENT OFF WITHOUT PHYSICAL CONTACT BLWE OUT DASH AND PARTS OF THE STEERING COLUMN UNDER THE STEERING WHEEL. DEALER NOTIFIED STATED IT WAS NOT UNDER WARRANTY AND WOULD NOT REPAIR IT. *AK *CB

CONSUMER WAS INVOLVED IN HEAD ON COLLISION WHILE TRAVELING AT APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH. DRIVER'S AIRBAG FAILED TO DEPLOY. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY ADDITIONAL INFORMATINON/ATTACHMENTS.*AK

CONSUMER HIT ANOTHER VEHICLE WITH 55 MPH IMPACT ,AND DUAL AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY, CAUSING DRIVER TO HIT STEERING WHEEL AND PASSENGER TO HIT DASHBOARD. SEATBELTS WERE NOT WORN AT TIME.*AK

AIR BAG LIGHT ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL WOULD COME ON INTERMITTENTLY. DEALERSHIP COULD NOT REPRODUCE PROBLEM. RECENTLY, THE AIR BAG LIGHT WOULD STAY ON AND WOULD NOT GO OFF. DEALERSHIP HAS AGAIN EXAMINED VEHICLE, AND INFORMED CONSUMER THAT WARRANTY EXPIRED, AND WAS NOT COVERED UNDER ANY RECALL. NO REASON WAS GIVEN AS TO COMPONENT CAUSING AIR BAG LIGHT TO COME ON. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY ADDITIONAL INFORMATION / ATTACHMENTS. *AK

WHILE DRIVING AT ABOUT 20-25 MPH CONSUMER WAS HIT FROM DRIVERS SIDE WHICH CAUSED VEHICLE TO CONTIUNOUSLY FLIPOVER, RESULTING IN SOME INJURIES TO HEAD AND BODY. UPON IMPACT, AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. DID NOT CONTACT DEALER OR MANUFACTURER. *AK

WHEN VEHICLE CRASHED INTO DRIVER'S SIDE OF A SMALL NISSAN TRUCK, THERE WAS NO DEPLOYMENT OF THE DRIVER'S SIDE OR PASSENGER'S SIDE AIR BAGS. SPORTAGE WAS TOTALLED IN THE CRASH. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION.*AK

WHEN DRIVING NORTHBOUND ON HIGHWAY 682, UP A STEEP HILL AND CURVE A CAR RAN HEAD ON INTO MY 1997 KIA SPORTAGE. THE CAR HAD DAMAGE IN THE FRONT CENTER, FRONT LEFT, AND LEFT SIDE OF THE VEHICLE. THE DRIVER OF THE CAR THAT HIT ME STATED THAT HER CAR WAS SLIDING AND SHE COULD NOT CONTROL IT. 911 WAS CALLED AND THE POLICE AND AMBULANCE CAME TO THE SEEN OF THE ACCIDENT. BOTH OF US WENT TO THE HOSPITAL AND SHE WAS GIVEN THE TICKET AND FOUND AT FAULT FOR THE ACCIDENT AT THE POINT OF IMPACT, THE DRIVERS SIDE AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. THERE ARE 2 AIRBAGS ON THE DRIVERS SIDE, ONE IN THE STEERING WHEEL, AND ONE IN THE DASHBOARD TO PROTECT THE KNEE AND LEG AREAS. NEITHER ONE OF THE AIRBAGS DEPLOYED. I WAS RESTRAINED IN A SEAT BELT, BUT I DID BUMP MY HEAD AND BUMPED MY KNEES AND THE LEFT SIDE OF MY BODY. I STILL HAVE THE KNOT ON MY HEAD AND MY KNEES AND LEFT SIDE CONTINUE TO HURT. *AK

WHEN DRIVING AND UPON CROSSING AN INTERSECTION CONSUMER WAS REAR ENDED, AND PUSHED HEAD ON BY ANOTHER VEHICLE. UPON IMPACT, NEITHER DRIVER'S SIDE NOR PASSENGER'S SIDE AIR BAG DEPLOYED. ALSO, VEHICLE WAS A TOTAL LOSS. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER DETAILS. *AK

WHILE TRAVELING AT 65 MPH DRIVER REAR ENDED A FORD BRONCO, AND AIR BAG ON DRIVER'S SIDE CAME OUT OF THE STEERING WHEEL, BUT DID NOT INFLATE. VEHICLE WAS TOTALLED. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION., *AK

WHILE VEHICLE WAS AT A STOP IT WAS HIT IN THE FRONT BY THE SIDE OF ANOTHER VEHICLE.UPON IMPACT, THERE WAS NO DEPLOYMENT OF THE FRONT AIR BAGS. VEHICLE HAS BEEN REPAIRED. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION. *AK

I WAS CONCERNED THAT MY AIRBAG HAD NOT DEPLOYED DURING MY ACCIDENT ON AUGUST 7TH. SINCE I SUFFERED A FRONT END COLLISION, I WONDERED WHY IT HAD NOT. I CONTACTED KIA AND AFTER BEING PUT OFF FOR ABOUT 5 DAYS, THEY FINALLY INSTRUCTED ME TO CONTACT MY INSURANCE COMPANY TO HAVE THEM REPORT THE PROBLEM TO KIA. STATE FARM INDICATED THAT SINCE THE AIR BAG WAS NOT DEPLOYED, IT WAS NOT A PART THAT HAD TO BE REPAIRED. STATE FARM INDICATED THAT THEIR ADJUSTERS HAD NO WAY OF KNOWING WHY A PART BUILT BY KIA WAS NOT WORKING AT THAT IT WAS KIA'S RESPONSIBILITY. FINALLY GETTING THE CAR BACK FROM IT'S SECOND TRIP TO BE REPAIRED FROM THE ACCIDENT (ANOTHER STORY ALL TOGETHER), I TOOK IT IN TO CENTRAL KIA IN PLANO, TX AND WAS TOLD THAT IT HAD A DEFECTIVE MODULE WHICH THEY WOULD REPAIR FOR $892 PLUS LABOR. WHEN I INQUIRED AS TO WHY I WOULD BE CHARGED FOR THE REPAIR OF THIS "DEFECTIVE" PART, I WAS TOLD THAT THE CAR HAS 54,000 MILES ON IT AND THAT THE REPAIR OF THE AIRBAG IS COVERED ONLY BY WARRANTY UP TO 36,000 MILES. UNFORTUNATELY, THE ONLY WAY I FOUND OUT THAT THE PART DID NOT WORK WAS BECAUSE I WAS IN AN ACCIDENT. I WAS WONDERING IF I HAVE ANY GROUND TO STAND ON IN THINKING THAT IT IS KIA'S RESPONSIBILITY TO FIX THE PROBLEM. ALL I CAN THINK IS WHAT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED IF I HADN'T SEEN THE COLLISION COMING. THE AIRBAG THAT I PAID FOR WHEN THE CAR WAS PURCHASED, WAS PURCHASED IN GOOD FAITH THAT IT WOULD ACTUALLY WORK ... IT DIDN'T. *AK

WHILE DRIVING 40MPH AND HAD A FRONTAL IMPACT, AND DRIVER'S AIRBAG DID NOT DEPLOY.. DRIVER SUSTAINED INJURIES. *AK