Kia Recalls Optimas for Faulty Wiring

Kia Motors Corp.’s U.S. unit recalled 9,461 Optima sedans because wiring for the driver’s side air bag can be damaged by the seat-adjustment mechanism. The South Korean auto maker’s dealers will reroute the wiring to eliminate the problem, Kia said in a statement. The work will take less than an hour and be done without charge, the company said. Kia began selling the Optima in the U.S. in late December. If the seat adjuster damages the wiring, the air bag might not work in an accident or might deploy without a collision, said the auto maker, whose U.S. unit is based in Irvine.

Kia, a unit of South Korea’s largest auto maker, Hyundai Motor Co., sold 6,833 Optimas in the U.S. this year through April.