2021 Kia Recall: Occupant Detection System Malfunction/FMVSS 208

A child seat strapped into the front passenger seat of a recalled 2021 Kia Telluride can leave the passenger airbag armed. The seat's occupant detection unit was improperly calibrated at its supplier, so it may miss the child restraint it is supposed to report.

Recall 21V164 covers 142 vehicles across three lines: 17 Tellurides and 124 K5 sedans from Kia Motors Manufacturing Georgia, plus a single Forte from Kia Motors Mexico. All of them were built in February or early March 2021, and Kia filed its noncompliance report with NHTSA on March 11, 2021.

The Issue

Section 19.2.1 of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208 requires the occupant classification or detection system to deactivate the passenger airbag when it detects a child restraint in the front passenger seat. In a crash, an airbag that deploys with a child in that restraint raises the risk of injury to the child.

Kia's Part 573 report gives the cause as "improper calibration" of the unit by its maker, IEE S.A. of Luxembourg. A relay failed in the unit's circuit board at the plant that builds those boards, according to Kia's chronology, and the supplier switched to an improved relay and calibration board on February 25, 2021. The Telluride carries an occupant detection system unit, part number 80702-S9000. The K5 and Forte use occupant classification units, 80702-L2000 and 80702-M6000.

Kia estimates that all 142 recalled vehicles carry the defect.

Affected Models

Vehicle	Model Year	Assembly Plant	Production Dates	Units
Kia Telluride	2021	Kia Motors Manufacturing Georgia	February 16 to March 3, 2021	17
Kia K5	2021	Kia Motors Manufacturing Georgia	February 3 to March 4, 2021	124
Kia Forte	2021	Kia Motors Mexico	February 9, 2021	1

Detection units made before the February 25 board change went into 248 vehicles built between February 3 and March 4, 2021. Dealers or customers had received 142 of them; Kia repaired the other 106 before delivery, and those sit outside the recall. The recalled cars were not built in VIN order, so Kia drew the list from supplier and vehicle production records, and a lookup by individual VIN settles whether a particular car is included.

Chronology and Investigation

The supplier told Kia Motors Mexico about the calibration problem on February 26, 2021, the day after the corrected board entered production. The Mexican plant searched its production records and narrowed the scope to the 2021 Forte. On March 2 it reported to Kia's North American office that one affected Forte had been sold to a dealer, while the rest were held at the plant, on rail or at the port for repair.

Kia Motors Manufacturing Georgia heard from the supplier on March 1 and 2 and matched the suspect units to K5 and Telluride vehicles through its build records. On March 3 the Georgia plant told the North American office that most of those cars were still on site, with some in dealer stock or already retailed. Kia decided to recall the three models on March 4 and had its regional parts and service managers tell dealers to hold affected inventory.

Reported Incidents

The fault came to light through the supplier's notice and Kia's own production records. Up to the March 4, 2021 recall decision, Kia's chronology lists no customer complaints, crashes or injuries connected to it.

Remedy and Notification

Dealers were notified on March 16, 2021, and owner letters went out by first-class mail on March 18. A technician replaces the unit with a properly calibrated one, resets it with Kia's KDS diagnostic tool and erases any stored trouble codes. Every removed unit goes back to the assembly plants for inspection to confirm part accountability.

Owners who paid for this repair before the letter arrived can seek reimbursement under Kia's General Reimbursement Plan, by submitting receipts through the Owners section of kia.com; Kia's Consumer Assistance Center is at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's campaign number is SC207.

Federal law bars a dealer from selling or leasing a new vehicle covered by the recall until it is repaired, and Kia auto-shipped replacement units for every affected car, whether in dealer stock or with customers. Kia's owner letter tells owners to avoid placing infants and young children in the front passenger seat, either on the seat itself or in a child seat.

As of the annual report Kia filed on January 28, 2026, 138 of the 142 vehicles counted as remedied, with none listed as unreachable or removed. By my arithmetic, four remained open.

Symptoms to Watch For

A dark "PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF" light with a child seat up front. On an affected vehicle the indicator remains off even when a child restraint occupies the front passenger seat, the one warning sign listed in the Part 573 report.

How Long Will the Recall Repair Take?

The warranty labor allowance for swapping the unit is 0.5 hours on all three models, and the technician torques the seat retaining bolts to specification after the new unit goes in. The owner letter estimates about one hour and warns that the dealer may need the vehicle longer depending on its schedule.

Bottom Line

The danger applies to a child riding in a restraint on the front passenger seat of an unrepaired car. Any of the four vehicles Kia counted as open in its 2026 report could have changed owners since 2021.

An open recall transfers with the vehicle when it is sold. Anyone who bought a used 2021 Telluride, K5 or Forte from a Kia dealer or a private seller should run the VIN.

Find your Kia Telluride recall information: https://www.kia.com/us/en/recall

Recall 21V164 (March 2021) covers 142 vehicles built in February and early March 2021: 17 Tellurides and 124 K5s from Kia's Georgia plant and one Forte from Mexico, each with an occupant detection or classification unit improperly calibrated at the supplier. Dealers replace and reset the unit. Kia's January 2026 annual report counts 138 of the 142 as remedied.