Kia is recalling 21,290 EV9 electric SUVs in the U.S. because a problem with the front passenger Occupant Detection System could prevent the vehicle from properly disabling the passenger airbag when a child or child restraint is present. The recall covers all 2025 EV9s and certain 2026 models built at Kia’s Georgia facility between May 17, 2024, and May 13, 2026. Kia estimates that about 6 percent of the recalled vehicles may actually have the defect, but the potential safety consequence is serious enough to warrant a broad recall.
The issue centers on a bladder tube located beneath the front passenger seat cushion. According to the recall filing, the tube may have been routed improperly by a supplier, allowing it to become pinched when the passenger seat is raised to its highest position. Repeated adjustments to the seat’s height or tilt can eventually damage the tube and cause the Occupant Detection System to malfunction. If that happens, the system may fail to suppress the passenger airbag for a child seated in a child restraint, which means the affected EV9s do not comply with federal occupant crash protection requirements.
Owners may have some warning that the system is not working correctly. Kia says the airbag warning light could illuminate in the instrument cluster, while the seatbelt reminder chime may also activate even when no one is sitting in the front passenger seat. Those symptoms should not be ignored, especially since the recall involves a system designed to help protect smaller occupants from the risks associated with front airbag deployment.
Kia dealers have already been notified, and owner notification letters are scheduled to go out on October 20, 2026. Dealers will inspect the routing of the Occupant Detection System bladder tube and, if needed, replace the ODS mat, bladder tube, and front passenger seat cover while ensuring the new components are routed correctly. Kia also notes that children 13 and younger should ride in the rear seat and that child restraint systems should never be installed in the EV9’s front passenger seat. Owners will be able to check their VIN for recall eligibility beginning September 4, 2026.
