10 Biggest News Stories of the Month: Kia Sportage Can't Brake American-Made Tesla Model Y, 3, X, S
Attention owners of 2023 Kia Sportage compact SUVs: Kia is pulling out all the stops in letting you know that you may need to bring your vehicle in for service soon. Nearly 99,000 model-year 2023 Sportages are currently under federal safety recall for a defect that could result in a loss of brake assist, in turn resulting in difficulty pressing down the pedal, in turn lengthening the distance needed to stop … in turn increasing the likelihood of a crash. We tell you everything you need to know to get the problem fixed in one of Cars.com’s most popular news articles of the past month.
Related: 2023 Cars.com American-Made Index: What About the Least American Cars?
The braking issue specifically (gulp!) impacts Sportages manufactured at Kia’s West Point, Ga., plant from Jan. 12, 2022, to Feb. 15, 2023. The good news for those whose vehicle fits the profile is that there’s no action required on your part until you receive notification from the automaker starting around July 21, at which time you’ll receive instructions on heading in to the dealership to resolve the problem at no cost to you.
For further info on the 2023 Kia Sportage recall — including how to contact Kia or the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration with questions — follow the link below to the No. 6 news story on this month’s countdown of most read articles.
Well read though the recall may have been, it wasn’t “safety first” that won the day but, instead, “America first” as Cars.com’s 18th annual American-Made Index dominated reader interest last month. And for the third consecutive year, Tesla held the top spot with the car that lays claim to the boast of being “most American” per our proprietary criteria used to narrow the field from 388 cars and trucks down to 100 based on assembly location, domestic parts content, engine origin, transmission origin and U.S. manufacturing workforce.
Not only did Tesla snag the No. 1 position — with the 2023 Model Y compact SUV, in this case — its luxury electric lineup also accounted for the next three places, with the Model 3 compact sedan at No. 2, the Model X mid-size SUV at No. 3 and the Model S mid-size sedan at No. 4. Tesla was able to accelerate its AMI accolades by ramping up employment over the past year at the Austin, Texas, manufacturing plant where the Model Y is made, and the rising tide raised all boats (or, in this case, cars).
For the full context on the American-Made Index — as well as the entire list of 100 most American models — follow the link below to the No. 1 news story of the month.
Beyond that, we’ve got headlines on the Lexus GX, BMW X7, Mazda CX-90 PHEV and much more — so don’t stop reading till the digits double. Here are the top 10 news stories Cars.com readers couldn’t get enough of in the past month:
1. 2023 Cars.com American-Made Index: Which Cars Are the Most American?
2. Which Electric Cars Are Still Eligible for the $7,500 Federal Tax Credit?
3. Top 10 Most Efficient Electric Cars
4. Who Fits in the Tesla Model Y’s Third Row?
5. 2024 Lexus GX Up Close: Sophisticated Ruggedness
6. Nearly 99,000 2023 Kia Sportage SUVs Recalled Over Loss of Brake Assist
8. 2023 BMW X7 Review: Fantastic, But Rapidly Approaching Overly Frustrating
9. 2024 Lexus GX: Over the Trail, No Longer Over the Hill
10. A Swift Trip: 2024 Mazda CX-90 PHEV Road-Trip Fuel Economy
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