Kia, Toyota and Porsche Issue Recalls

Kia will recall nearly 80,000 Sedona minivans from the 2006-12 model years because of a problem that could cause steering failure, the automaker informed the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Toyota and Porsche will also conduct smaller recalls, according to reports the two companies filed with the agency.

In the report Kia posted on the agency’s website, the automaker said the front control arms could rust and possibly break, causing the driver to lose control of the vehicle.

Kia said it was not aware of any crashes or injuries related to the problem, but several owners who filed complaints with N.H.T.S.A. said they lost control of their vehicles when a control arm failed.

“Vehicle quickly became unsteerable,” one owner wrote in a complaint filed on Nov. 20. “If this sudden failure had occurred moments earlier with my kids on the way to school and on the highway this could have been a much worse result.”

The recall covers vehicles originally sold or currently registered in Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia, Wisconsin and the District of Columbia.

The action, called a geographic recall, affects only certain states where the problem is thought most likely to occur. Consumer groups like the Center for Auto Safety have long criticized the practice, saying vehicles that need to be repaired may be missed as automakers save money by not having to issue a nationwide recall. The practice is approved by N.H.T.S.A., which – along with automakers – has defended it as practical and effective.

A Kia spokesman did not immediately respond when asked whether Kia would help owners in other states who were worried.

In other actions:

¦?N.H.T.S.A. is investigating a report of a bracket failure that allowed a compressed natural gas container to be dragged behind a 2012 Ford F-550 transit bus in which it had been mounted, according to the agency report.

The agency said the company that owns the bus said the tank was dragged behind it, attached only by two fuel hoses. “The driver reportedly observed sparks in both side mirrors as the fuel container was being dragged along the pavement,” the report said.

¦?Toyota will recall about 9,800 vehicles because an electric short can cause the windshield wiper motor to fail, according to the report filed by the automaker. The vehicles affected by the recall are the 2013-14 Camry and Camry Hybrid; the 2013-14 Avalon and Avalon Hybrid and the 2014 Corolla.

¦?Porsche will recall 207 Cayennes from the 2014 model year, including the diesel and hybrid models, because the fuel sensor may read high, according to a report filed by the automaker.

Porsche will also recall 81 of its 2014 Boxster, Cayman and 911 models because of a defective wiring harness in the passenger seat that can keep the air bag from deploying in a crash, according to the report filed by the automaker.