Some versions of the Kia Picanto and Kia Cee’d have been recalled by the Korean company amid two separate possible safety issues.

Over 6,500 owners of Picantos built between November 2009 and February 2010 are being contacted to replace their cars’ fuel filler necks.

The previous harsh winter has revealed that high use of de-icer could damage the necks’ seal. According to Kia there has been a small number of fuel leaks reported.

Meanwhile 458 Cee’d models built between April 1 2008 and March 30 2009 are being recalled for replacement brake master cylinders. Models featuring Electronic Stability Control (ESP) may suffer from insufficient braking force from the cylinder. There are no reports of any accidents in the UK because of this issue.

Hamish McCowan, Director of After-Sales and Logistics said: “Safety is always our top priority and our on-going product assessment and research has revealed these two potential problems.

“We have immediately put in place a process to contact owners and the work will be conducted by Kia dealers at a convenient time for customers. I would apologise to any owner whose vehicle may be affected and at the same time I would like to assure them that we believe we are acting before anyone in the UK has experienced any issue,” he added.

Kia Cee’d gallery:

By Owen Ready