South Korean sister companies Hyundai and Kia have issued a recall of a combined 485,000 vehicles in the U.S. over a potential fire and engine failure issues. The companies issued a warning to owners of the recalled vehicles to leave their cars parked outside in case they do suddenly catch fire.
The recall is the latest in a string of safety issues faced by the two companies over the past six years owing to technical problems with their products. Kia and Hyundai said the latest recall is being caused by possible contamination of their vehicles' anti-lock braking control modules, which may cause a short and possibly a fire.
The models that are part of the recall include Kia's 2014 to 2016 Sportage SUVs, 2016 to 2018 K900 sedan, Hyundai's 2016 to 2018 Santa Fe SUVs, 2017 to 2018, Santa Fe Sports, 2019 Santa Fe XL, and their 2014 to 2015 Tucson SUVs.
Owners who want to see if their vehicles are covered by the recall can visit the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's website, which has a section where they can enter their vehicle's 17-digit VIN number.
The companies said the short might cause some driven or parked vehicles to catch fire, including those with engines turned off. As a precaution, the companies are advising owners to park their cars outside instead of inside their garages. The NHTSA also issued the same warnings, telling owners to keep their vehicles parked away from structures until repairs to them have been made.
Kia said owners should look out for warnings signs such as burning smells or smoke. Those who do are advised to immediately stop or park their vehicles outdoors before calling their nearest dealer.
The automotive manufacturers said owners should bring their vehicles to their nearest dealers for free checkups and repair. In most cases, the problem is fixed by replacing a fuse. Hyundai and Kia said dealers would inspect the affected modules and replace them if needed for free. Letters will be sent out to affected owners on April 5 for Hyundai and March 31 for Kia.
The recall comes as the NHTSA stepped up its investigations into reported engine compartment fires that have plagued the two Korean automakers. There have been 11 reports of vehicle fires in the U.S. but without any casualties.
In December, the NHTSA merged two 2017 investigations into a single engineering examination spanning more than 3 million vehicles from the 2011 to 2016 model years. The NHTSA had received 161 reports of engine fires at the time, some of which happened in vehicles that had already been recalled.
