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IRVINE — Kia Motors America on Friday voluntarily recalled 9,461 Optima mid-sized sedans built this year because of problems with wire harnesses that might prevent air bags from working properly. 

Customers were being notified by mail, Kia spokesman Geno Effler said. 

Driver’s side air bags might be damaged by the seat adjustment mechanism, Effler said.  

If harnesses are not repaired, driver’s side air bags might fail to deploy in a crash or deploy without a crash. 

Effler said the defect was discovered during a routine assessment. He did not know why these particular Optimas had the harness problem and others did not. 

Owners were being asked to take their cars to a Kia dealership for the correction.