Hyundai and Kia have issued a recall of over 570,000 U.S. vehicles over fire risks and urged owners to park outside and away until it is repaired.
The issue
They warned that some vehicles with tow hitch harnesses can catch fire while they are parked or being driven due to a short circuit.
Hyundai has reports of one fire and five heat damage incidents with no injuries.
Kia has said in documents by US safety regulators that water can get into a circuit board on the hitches and cause a short circuit even if the ignitions are off.
Affected models
Hyundai has reports of one fire and five heat damage incidents with no injuries.
Kia has no reports of fires or injuries.
Those affected include 2022-2023 model year Hyundai Santa Cruz, 2019-2023 Santa Fe, 2021-2023 Santa Fe Hybrid, 2022-2023 Santa Fe Plug-in Hybrid, and 2022-2023 Kia Carnival.
Do note that the only Kia affected is the Carnival minivan from 2022 and 2023.
Situation so far
Hyundai is recalling nearly 568,000 vehicles and Kia 3,500 in the United States.
The carmaker has acknowledged six potential incidents related to the recall, including one fire.
There are no confirmed crashes or injuries related to the recall issue.
Kia said it has no reports of fires.
The latest recall
“Water accumulation on the tow hitch harness module printed circuit board (PCB) may cause an electrical short, which can result in a fire,” the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said, adding the recall is a direct result of its monitoring of Hyundai’s 2022 recall of 245,030 Palisade vehicles for a tow hitch fire issue.
Hyundai and Kia dealers will install new fuse and wire extension kits to address the issue.
As an interim repair Hyundai said its dealers will inspect the tow hitch module and remove the fuse as necessary.
Fixes this time around
The recalls come after both Korean carmakers said they would provide free software fixes for 8.3 million vehicles to stop a rash of thefts inspired by TikTok video trends.
Dealers at first will remove the fuse and tow hitch computer module until a fix is available.
Later they will install a new fuse and wire extension with an improved connector that’s waterproof. Owners will be notified starting May 16.
