Kia Recalls Rio Cars to Fix Airbag Sensor

Next month Kia Motors America will begin recalling 72,600 Rio subcompact cars to fix a sensor flaw that could cause the passenger-side airbag to deploy when it shouldn't.

The defect involves the serpentine printed circuit inside the passenger seat sensor mat in Rio cars built between February 2005 and December 2007. The system's function is to suppress airbag deployment when a child in the seat.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says the circuit may develop fatigue cracking and stop working. If so, the car's airbag warning light would illuminate. The airbag would deploy when a child is in the passenger seat, thus increasing the risk of an airbag-caused injury.

Kia dealers will replace the defective mat with the more durable design it began using at the end of 2007.