Kia recalls 319,000 cars to fix trunk latch

WASHINGTON — Kia America is recalling more than 319,000 cars in the U.S. because the trunk latch might become damaged, preventing the trunk from being opened from the inside.

The recall covers the 2016-17 Rio subcompact car, 2016-18 Optima and 2017-18 Optima hybrid and plug-in hybrid midsize sedans. An additional 17,615 vehicles are being recalled in Canada, a Kia spokesperson said.

"A crack can develop in the pawl of the trunk latch base subassembly, which can intermittently cause the trunk's interior emergency release lever to be inoperative," according to a recall report submitted Aug. 24 to NHTSA.

As a result, those vehicles fail to comply with federal safety regulations for "internal trunk release," the report said.

A person inside the trunk compartment could become trapped, increasing the risk of injury, NHTSA said.

Kia told NHTSA it was aware of 32 incidents describing the inability to open the trunk from the emergency release lever. There have been no injuries or crashes, the automaker said.

Korean auto supplier Daedong Door makes the trunk latch assembly, according to the report.

To fix the issue, dealers will replace the trunk latch assembly with a new version that has a strengthened pawl.

Dealers will be notified Oct. 16. Vehicle owners will be notified starting Oct. 19.

So far this year, Kia has issued 12 recalls, affecting more than 1 million vehicles in the U.S., according to NHTSA data.