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Sending the Wrong Signal: 2015-17 Kia Sedona Recalled for Indicator Malfunction

img1049502499 1476122807300 jpg 2016 Kia Sedona | Cars.com photo by Angela Conners

In a safer, more perfect world, motorists would use their turn-signal indicator every time they switched lanes to let you know where they’re headed. In the real world, of course, many motorists don’t — but imagine a world even worse, where drivers used their turn signal and then swerved in the opposite direction of where you thought. Kia’s trying to prevent this with its latest recall for a software malfunction affecting more than 88,000 examples of its Sedona minivan.

Related: More Recall News

Specifically involved are model-year 2015-17 Sedonas. Software logic for the minivan’s Smart Junction Box may not properly interpret the signals received from the multifunction switch, which could cause the turn signal to activate in the opposite direction of what the driver intended. That, in turn, increases the risk of a crash.

To prevent a world where such chaos reigns (at least, among motorists near a Sedona with said defect), dealers will update the Smart Junction Box software for free. Kia will begin notifying owners Nov. 12, but those with additional questions can call the automaker at 800-333-4542, or visit NHTSA’s website to check their vehicle identification number and learn more.

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Patrick Masterson

Patrick Masterson is Chief Copy Editor at Cars.com. He joined the automotive industry in 2016 as a lifelong car enthusiast and has achieved the rare feat of applying his journalism and media arts degrees as a writer, fact-checker, proofreader and editor his entire professional career. He lives by an in-house version of the AP stylebook and knows where semicolons can go.

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