Hyundai and Kia Issue Recalls for Nearly 300 Thousand Vehicles
Automakers recommend affected vehicles be kept outside.
The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration issued a consumer alert on Tuesday, Aug. 23 warning of the potential for vehicle fires originating in the tow hitch of certain Hyundai and Kia SUVs.
In both makes, moisture and/or foreign materials contaminating the printed circuit board (PCB) of the tow hitch may cause an electrical short circuit, leading to the hitch igniting whether the car is in use or not.
More than 245,000 Hyundai Palisades from 2020-2022 model years and 36,417 Kia Tellurides from the same years are listed as part of the recall and may need to be inspected by your dealer to confirm if they are fitted with an affected tow hitch.
There are no confirmed fires or crashes related to the issue in the U.S., according to the NHTSA's release, but Hyundai Motor America and Kia America are recommending that owners of potentially affected vehicles park their cars outside and away from buildings or other structures until they can be repaired. The sale of affected models and modules has also been halted at dealers and vehicle processing centers.
Repairs for the recall are still in development. When one becomes available, owners will receive instructions in the mail to bring their car to their local dealer for service. In the meantime, Hyundai dealers can inspect the tow hitch module and remove the fuse, if necessary. The Kia models affected do not have an interim repair option.
Vehicle owners can check to see if their vehicles are a part of the recall by typing in their VIN at NHTSA.gov/recalls/. The NHTSA also offers an app that you can upload all of your vehicle information into, and it will notify you if and when recalls that affect you are issued—including for things like car seats.
Several other product recalls have been issued this month, including popular frozen pizzas, several things under the Lyons Magnus umbrella, Capri Suns, and baby swings.
More News:
