Kia Soul EV Note: The parking brake is still defective

Back in 2020, auto-motor-und-sport.de reported on a problem with the electronic parking brake on the Kia Soul EV. Now, four years later, the Federal Motor Transport Authority is raising the alarm again under recall number 013553. The manufacturer’s recall code is 231127. 39,606 vehicles are affected worldwide and 11,760 vehicles in Germany.

When asked by auto-motor-und-sport.de, the manufacturer said: “There is a possibility that the electric parking brake will not be closed when the car is ready to drive. This can cause a situation despite the selector lever being in the “P” (parking) position. The car could roll over unintentionally, increasing the risk of an accident. However, there is a small but subtle difference to the previous recall, as Kia reveals: “The first recall was about the automatic activation of the parking brake when the ignition was turned off.”

The manufacturer does that

Affected vehicle owners will be notified in writing by Kia Germany in the coming days and weeks. All affected vehicles will receive an electronic parking brake (EPB) software update. With the update, EPB is automatically turned on after the car is turned off. Just four years ago, the car manufacturer denied that the defect also occurred in another model series.

Kia discovered a defect in the parking brake during the South Korean carmaker’s internal quality control and is not aware of any accidents or even personal injuries.

This is how long the corrective action takes

The time required to perform the task is approximately 30 minutes for updating the software of the electronic control unit. However, up to an hour and a half must be planned for the entire process of the workshop, including accepting the car and returning. For more information, the customer can contact the relevant Kia partner.

Completion can be seen in Kia’s warranty system after entering the matching VIN. All returns are made free of charge to the customer.