Hyundai and Kia are recalling just over 570,000 U.S. automobiles due to fire hazards and have advised owners to store their vehicles outdoors while repairs are made. Due to a short circuit, some vehicles with a tow hitch harness might catch fire, according to the automakers. Model years 2022-2023 for the Hyundai Santa Cruz, 2019-2023 for the Santa Fe, 2021-2023 for the Santa Fe Hybrid, 2022-2023 for the Santa Fe Plug-in Hybrid, and 2022-2023 for the Kia Carnival are covered.
In the United States, an estimated 5.70 million automobiles, including the Hyundai Santa Fe and Kia Carnival, are at risk of catching fire.
In the United States, Hyundai is recalling about 568 thousand automobiles and Kia 3,500. Hyundai stated that it is aware of six potential recall-related occurrences, including one fire. No collisions or injuries have been confirmed as a result of the recall problem. Kia has not received any complaints of fires.
Around 6 lakh owners have been notified by Hyundai and Kia to leave their vehicles outside.
“Water accumulation on the tow hitch harness module printed circuit board (PCB) may cause an electrical short, which can lead to a fire,” the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said, adding that the recall is a direct result of its monitoring of Hyundai’s 2022 recall of 245,030 Palisade vehicles due to a tow hitch fire issue.
To resolve the issue, Hyundai and Kia dealers will install new fuse and wire extension kits. Hyundai stated that as a temporary fix, dealers will examine the tow hitch module and, if required, remove the fuse.
The recalls are a result of the announcements by both Korean automakers that they will issue free software updates for 8.3 million vehicles to prevent robberies inspired by TikTok video trends.
