Kia has issued a safety recall for over 6500 of its Picanto city cars. Last winter’s harsh weather revealed that if sufficient de-icing fluid got close to the car’s fuel filler the seal around it could be affected and result in a leak.
A small number of owners have reported this problem, which affects cars built between November 2009 and February 2010. Kia is contacting owners and will replace the filler neck for free.
The company is also contacting 468 Cee’d owners to correct braking problems. The fault affects three-door, five-door and estate (SW) models fitted with an Electronic Stability Programme (ESP). These cars may not produce sufficient brake force in an emergency, although Kia says it is not aware of any accidents in the UK resulting from the problem.
The problem affects certain Cee’ds built between the beginning of April 2008 and the end of March 2009. Again, Kia is contacting owners and will fit a replacement brake master cylinder for free.
‘We have immediately put in place a process to contact owners,’ said Hamish McCowan, Kia’s director for after sales and logistics. ‘The work will be conducted by Kia dealers at a convenient time for customers. I would apologise to any owner whose vehicle may be affected. At the time I would like to assure them that we believe we are acting before anyone in the UK has experienced any issue,’ he said.
