Hyundai and Kia warn owners of 571,000 cars to park OUTSIDE over fears tow hitch could catch fire
Hyundai and sister firm Kia warn owners of 571,000 cars to park them OUTSIDE over fears tow hitch could catch fire, as they recall Santa Fe, Santa Cruz and Carnival models
Hyundai and Kia are recalling more than 568,000 cars over fears that a tow hitch harness could catch fire.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration warned that the fire could be caused because of a short circuit.
Car owners are being urged to park their vehicles outside and away from structures until the remedy is completed.
The recall includes the 2019-2023 Santa Fe, 2021-2023 Santa Fe hybrid, 2022-2023 Santa Fe Plug-in hybrid and Santa Cruz models.
Kia America Inc will also recall 3,555 units of its Carnival model manufactured between 2022 and 2023 over a similar defect.
The recall includes the 2019-2023 Santa Fe, 2021-2023 Santa Fe hybrid, 2022-2023 Santa Fe Plug-in hybrid and Santa Cruz models
All have Hyundai or Kia tow hitch harnesses that came as original equipment or were installed by dealers – with fires possible even if the ignitions are off.
The NHTSA said: ‘Water accumulation on the tow hitch harness module printed circuit board (PCB) may cause an electrical short, which can result in a fire.’
Owners will be notified starting May 16, and 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.
Midsize Santa Fe SUV – both regular and hybrid – cost up to $47,370 while the Santa Cruz truck is $40,570.
A 2023 Kia Carnival SUV is a favorite for families, and starts at a price of $33,100.
It comes after the Korean carmakers said that they would provide free software fixes for 8.3 million vehicles to stop a rash of thefts inspired by TikTok videos.
Last year Hyundai recalled more than 245,000 2020 through 2022 Palisade SUVs for a similar problem.
They also issued a ‘stop sale; order for affected inventory at dealerships and processing centers in accordance with federal guidelines
Kia said in a statement that there have been six ‘localized’ fires involving the Telluride.
A Hyundai spokesperson confirmed three fires and 16 melting incidents in the United States and Canada between January 2020 and July 2022, but no crashes or injuries related to the problem.