Recall Date: 8/21/2026
NHTSA ID: 26V545
Mfr. Campaign Number: SC379
Manufacturer: Kia America, Inc.
Affected Components: Occupant detection system (ODS) mat and bladder tube, front passenger seat cushion assembly
Potential Number of Units Affected: 21,290
The recall covers 2025 and certain 2026 model year Kia EV9s built at Kia Georgia between May 17, 2024, and May 13, 2026. EV9s built in Korea are not included. Kia says the affected population wasn't produced in strict VIN order, so owners who want to confirm their specific vehicle are directed to their Kia dealer or Kia's Customer Care Center rather than a simple VIN range check.
The issue traces to the ODS mat bladder tube under the front passenger seat cushion, supplied by Adient. Because of how the supplier routed that tube, it can become pinched when the seat is raised to its highest position, and repeated seat height or tilt adjustments can damage it over time. A damaged tube can keep the occupant detection system from suppressing the front passenger airbag when a child restraint system is installed there, which puts the vehicle out of compliance with the suppression requirement in FMVSS 208. There are two tells before it gets that far: the airbag warning light illuminating in the instrument cluster, or the seatbelt chime sounding for an unbelted passenger even when the seat is empty.
No Do Not Drive or Park Outside advisory applies to this campaign. Kia dealers will inspect the ODS mat bladder tube routing, replace the mat, tube, and seat cover assembly if needed, and do it all free of charge. Owners who already paid to address the issue can be reimbursed under Kia's general reimbursement plan on file since April 30, 2026. Kia is also using the notice to repeat standard guidance that applies regardless of this recall: never install a child restraint system in the front passenger seat, and children age 13 and under should ride in the back.
Owners will be notified by first-class mail, with dealer notification beginning August 24, 2026, and owner letters going out on or about October 20, 2026. VINs become searchable in NHTSA's recall lookup on September 4, 2026. Kia has already corrected the routing in production, with 2026 model year EV9s built starting May 14, 2026, receiving a properly routed tube.
Kia identified the affected population through a review of its own production and supplier records rather than a single failure report, which is consistent with a defect tied to how a part was installed rather than a part that was missing or broken outright. That process is also why the estimated defect rate sits at just 6 percent of the 21,290-vehicle population, but Kia is still notifying and inspecting every EV9 in that range, since there's no way to tell from a VIN alone which seats got the tube routed correctly and which didn't.
That distinction matters for how dealers should think about this campaign. A low estimated defect rate can make a recall feel like a formality, but the underlying failure here disables a specific occupant safety system, so full inspection of the entire population is the right call even though most of those vehicles will pass.
A recall where most affected vehicles will turn out fine is one of the easier campaigns for owners to ignore, especially when there's no dashboard warning telling them anything is wrong. BizzyCar's Recall Outreach product identifies every EV9 owner in a dealer's market with this open recall and reaches them directly through two-way SMS, so the inspection gets booked regardless of whether that specific vehicle shows any symptoms yet.
For a dealer network, that means the full population gets contacted, not just the subset of owners who happen to notice a warning light or a seatbelt chime with no one in the seat. Book a demo.