2014 Kia Sportage Ex on 2040-cars

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Kia calls in 87k Fortes over fan fire issue

An electrical issue on the 2014 Forte has prompted Kia and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to issue a recall for 86,880 vehicles across America. The problem stems from the resistor for the cooling fan that the Korean automaker has found could overheat and melt, which would increase the risk of a fire. And fires in an automobile, needless to say, are not a good thing – unless they're occurring inside a combustion chamber. The issue affects units manufactured between December 5, 2012, and April 17, 2014. Owners of said Fortes can expect to hear from Kia to arrange to bring their vehicles in to their local dealer to have the multi-fuse unit replaced – and, for those manufactured between December 5, 2012, and January 27, 2014, the cooling fan as well. Vehicles equipped with the 1.8-liter engine will also have their ECUs reflashed while they're at it. RECALL Subject : Cooling Fan Resistor May Melt Report Receipt Date: JAN 16, 2015 NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V015000 Component(s): ELECTRICAL SYSTEM Potential Number of Units Affected: 86,880 Manufacturer: Kia Motors America SUMMARY: Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain model year 2014 Kia Forte vehicles manufactured December 5, 2012, to April 17, 2014. In the affected vehicles, the cooling fan resistor may overheat and melt. CONSEQUENCE: If the cooling fan resistor overheats and melts, there is an increased risk of a vehicle fire. REMEDY: Kia will notify owners, and for vehicles produced from December 5, 2012 to January 27, 2014, dealers will replace the cooling fan resistor and multi-fuse unit. For vehicles produced from January 28, 2014 to April 17, 2014, dealers will replace the multi-fuse unit only. Owners of vehicles with a 1.8L engine will also have the engine control unit software updated. The recall is expected to begin February 24, 2015. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC113. NOTES: Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov.

Dancer who portrays Kia hamster accused of disability fraud

Tsk, tsk, dancing hamster. Kia's trio of anthropomorphic rodents may be down a member, as the actor that portrays one of the dancing hamsters has been arrested on charges of disability fraud. According to The Huffington Post, 27-year-old LeRoy Barnes accepted over $51,000 in disability payments following a workplace injury in 2010. While accepting the money, he's accused of performing under aliases, in addition to his costumed work for Kia. "Fraudulently collecting disability benefits is not only illegal, it disrespects legitimately injured Californians who are unable to work," Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones said in a release obtained by HuffPo. Barnes was arrested back in March and posted $50,000 in bail the following day.

Superman-themed Kia Optima Hybrid definitely not faster than a speeding bullet

The Justice League of America's garage is filling up quickly, with Kia and DC Entertainment unveiling its sixth of eight super hero-inspired vehicles at the Chicago Auto Show today. The vehicles are being used to raise awareness for DC Entertainment's "We Can Be Heroes" giving campaign.
The latest Kia to get the super hero treatment is the Optima Hybrid, which draws on the almighty Superman for inspiration. We're not sure what to make of this thing, honestly, as neither Clark Kent nor Kal-El would be caught dead in it (unless it's got the optional Kryptonite seatbelts, of course). Rather, this looks like what we imagine a Superman fanboy would construct if given carte blanche to ruin an Optima Hybrid. The actual design and construction were handled jointly by Kia, DC Entertainment and Super Street magazine.
We'll let the pictures do the talking in terms of what modifications were made since they're all cosmetic. That is, no mechanical mods were done to make the Kia Optima either faster than a speeding bullet or more powerful than a locomotive (shame).