Hyundai and Kia recall 601,232 vehicles over bad interior trunk latches – Roadshow [CNET]

Hyundai and Kia are issuing recalls for the interior trunk latches on 601,232 vehicles from model years 2016 through 2020, according to a pair of filings with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration posted Monday.

According to the NHTSA filings, the interior latches may become damaged and stop working. This would mean that the affected models would no longer comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 401, “Internal trunk release.”

The specific models affected by these recalls are the 2016-2018 Kia Forte, Forte Koup and 2018-2019 Rio as well as the 2017-2018 Hyundai Sonata, 2016-2018 Sonata Hybrid, 2018-2020 Accent and 2016-2017 Azera.

The fix for this issue is simple and involves your dealer replacing the interior trunk latch. This recall, like all recalls, will be performed free of charge. Hyundai will begin notifying owners of affected vehicles on or around Oct. 1, while Kia will start on Oct. 5.

If you have questions about this recall, you can contact Hyundai’s customer service department at 1-855-371-9460 and give recall number 208, or you can contact Kia’s customer service department at 1-800-333-4542 and give recall number SC216.