Recall Alert: Automaker Warns Drivers to Park Vehicles Outside

Hyundai, Kia initiate recall of hundreds of thousands of vehicles across US

Hyundai cars are seen at a plant of Hyundai Motor Co on the outskirts of Beijing on Jan. 25, 2019. Jason Lee/Reuters

Both Hyundai and Kia have recalled more than 500,000 vehicles across the United States due to a possible fire risk and warned that motorists should park their vehicles away from structures in the meantime.

Affected Hyundai vehicles include the 2019 to 2023 Santa Fe, the 2021 to 2023 Santa Fe Hybrid, the 2022 and 2023 Santa Fe Plug-in hybrid, and the 2022 and 2023 Santa Cruz. The only Kia affected is the Carnival minivan from 2022 and 2023. All have Hyundai or Kia tow hitch harnesses that came as original equipment or were installed by dealers.

The Korean automakers say in documents posted Thursday by U.S. safety regulators that water can get into a circuit board on the hitches and cause a short circuit even if the ignitions are off. As a result, the automakers told owners of the vehicles to park them away from structures and added that they shouldn’t be parked inside a garage.

“Until the free recall repair is completed, owners should continue to park their vehicles outdoors and away from other vehicles or buildings, even if the vehicle is turned off,” according to a “consumer alert” that was issued by the U.S. National Highway Safety Transportation Agency. “An electrical short could potentially start a fire in the tow hitch harness module. Owners should contact their Hyundai or Kia dealership to schedule a FREE repair.”

Owners of the vehicles under recall should communicate with their manufacturer’s customer service department to see if their vehicle is affected.

“All owners of the subject vehicles will be notified by first class mail with instructions to bring their vehicles to a Hyundai dealer for the verification of equipped Hyundai accessory trailer tow hitch assembly and if equipped, the installation of a 15A fuse and new wire extension kit,” a spokesperson for Hyundai told Fox Business on Thursday.

The spokesperson added that Hyundai is taking “an interim step” and that the car manufacturer is “also planning on removing the fuse to an equipped trailer tow hitch module to address the fire risk while in operation and parked. This remedy will be offered at no cost for all affected customers, if necessary.”

A Kia spokesperson told Fox Business that they will notify owners of the recalled vehicles via first-class mail starting in May. It will include instructions to bring their Kia to a dealership for a fix.

In 2022, Hyundai initiated a recall of more than 245,000 Palisade SUVs for a similar problem. That recall impacted Palisades from the 2020 to 2022 model years.

Other Recalls

Several days ago, Honda announced it is recalling 500,000 vehicles due to a seat belt problem as U.S. safety regulators that the surface coating on the channel for the buckle can deteriorate over time. The release button can shrink against the channel at lower temperatures, increasing friction and stopping the buckle from latching.

That recall covers the 2017 through 2020 CR-V, the 2018 and 2019 Accord, the 2018 through 2020 Odyssey, and the 2019 Insight. It also includes Acura RDX from the 2019 and 2020 model years.

Honda said in its recall that it has no reports of injuries caused by the seat belt issue.

Ford earlier this month, too, recalled F-150 Lightning electric trucks due to a battery fire issue, according to reports. Some 18 of the Lightnings were impacted, a spokesperson told Green Car Reports.

“The vehicles passed a pre-delivery quality check and connected vehicle data shows no anomalies,”  the Ford spokesperson said.

In February, F-150 Lightning production was halted by the Detroit auto giant amid reports of a truck catching on fire during a quality check. The cause of the fire was found to be a battery cell defect, the company said. Production of the F-150 Lightning was restarted in March.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.