PHOENIX – Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro announced today that it has begun an investigation into Kia Motors Corp (000270.KS) and its occupant classification system, or OCS, after claims that adults weighing less than 130 pounds deactivate the air bags in the passenger seat, leaving passengers at significant risk if there's an accident and the air bags don't deploy.

The investigation includes all Kia models made between 2006 and 2009. Federal law requires all vehicles to be equipped with front passenger air bags, and problems with the OCS may deprive smaller passengers of any front air bag protection.

The OCS is part of the advanced air bag system of a vehicle. These systems use sensors in the passenger seat to determine if the front air bag should be enabled depending on whether the passenger is a child or adult, and there's no way to override the system. HBSS is investigating whether Kia's occupant clarification system fails to correctly detect the presence of smaller adults and deactivates the front air bag for these adult passengers.

The law firm is also investigating claims that Kia was aware of the problem and failed to disclose this defect to owners and new purchasers.

If you own a Kia manufactured between 2006 and 2009, you can contact Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro to discuss your options. Owners can e-mail [email protected] or call 602-840-5900 to discuss the investigation.

You can also join this investigation at www.hbsslaw.com/cases/hyundai-air-bags. HBSS will treat all information shared as confidential.
 

# # #

About Hagens Berman
Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP is a consumer-rights class-action law firm with offices in ten cities. The firm has been named to the National Law Journal’s Plaintiffs’ Hot List eight times. More about the law firm and its successes can be found at www.hbsslaw.com. Follow the firm for updates and news at @ClassActionLaw.

Media Contact
Ashley Klann
[email protected]
206-268-9363