More than 80,000 examples of the 2019 Kia Sorento are being recalled in the United States because they have rearview cameras that could fail.
The South Korean car manufacturer has revealed that a manufacturing error at a supplier means the rearview camera is “susceptible to water intrusion.” If water works its way into the camera then the image could be blank when Reverse is selected, meaning subject vehicles do not comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards.
Hyundai Mobis supplied the rearview camera but it has not specified precisely what manufacturing error led to the issue. All it has said is that its error “created a path for water intrusion into [the] rearview camera via the wiring harness.”
Read: The Rearview Camera In 150,000 Kia Sorentos Could Fall Out Of Place, Leading To A Recall
A total of 83,667 Kia Sorento models from the 2019 model year are impacted. These vehicles were manufactured between August 1, 2018 and June 12, 2019.
Kia North America first identified a potential trend in rearview camera replacements for the 2019 Sorento in mid-July while reviewing field data. It subsequently identified 283 reports of blank/blue rearview cameras across Kia data sources and while it is not aware of any crashes, injuries, or fatalities related to the issue, it has implemented a recall.
Owners of impacted Sorento models will be notified from November 13 and asked to bring their vehicle into a local Kia dealer. Company dealers will then inspect the rearview camera and replace it with a new one if necessary. If no water intrusion is found, dealers will simply apply additional waterproofing to the camera wiring harness.
This is not the only recall recently issued for the Kia Sorento related to its rearview camera. Earlier this month, Kia announced a recall for more than 144,000 Sorento models from the 2022-2023 model years because the camera can fall out of position.
