Small, cheap, dependable — and somehow still dangerous. Kia has just recalled 1,180 Picanto hatchbacks from the 2020–2023 model years in Australia. The reason is almost insultingly mundane: a manufacturing defect in the low-pressure fuel feed tube, which can sit too close to the battery sensor wiring.
What happens next reads like an assembly manual for disaster. The tube rubs against the wire. The wire damages the tube. Fuel starts leaking. One spark from an external ignition source — and the little hatchback turns into a torch. Kia doesn’t mince its words in the recall notice: a fire could injure or kill occupants, other road users and bystanders alike.
Owners of the affected cars will be contacted directly and invited to an authorised dealer. The repair is free. Though in a situation like this, it’s hard to imagine anyone turning it down.
