Millions Of Hyundai And Kia Owners Now Have Spontaneous Vehicle Fires To Worry About
Today, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced that Hyundai and Kia are recalling a staggering 3.3 million cars. The cause? A potential fire risk. According to the NHTSA, the affected vehicles' anti-lock brake module could potentially spring a leak, causing a short and possibly an electrical fire in the engine bay. Not good, considering Hyundai and Kia's recent issues with vehicle theft.
Specifically, 1.73 million Kias are affected by the possible fault. Those Kias are comprised of the 2014 to 2016 Cadenza, 2011 to 2013 Forte/Forte Koup, 2015 to 2017 K900, 2010 to 2015 Optima (and 2011 to 2013 hybrid model), 2011 to 2017 Rio, 2010 Rondo, 2011 to 2014 Sorento, 2011 to 2013 Soul, and 2010 to 2013 Sportage.
The remaining 1.64 million Hyundai and Genesis models are as follows: 2012 to 2015 Accent, 2012 to 2015 Azera, 2011 to 2015 Elantra (and the 2013 to 2015 Coupe model), 2014 to 2015 Equus, 2011 to 2015 Genesis Coupe, 2013 to 2015 Santa Fe, 2013 Santa Fe Sport, 2011 to 2015 Sonata HEV, 2013 Tucson, 2015 Tucson Fuel Cell, 2012 to 2015 Veloster, and lastly 2010 to 2012 Veracruz. If you own any of these vehicles, or know someone who does, don't park it inside of a garage or enclosed area as there is a risk of a spontaneous fire.
Do not park your Hyundai or Kia inside
Fortunately, out of the 21 reported Hyundai fires, and four reported Kia fires, there have been no reported injuries or fatalities. The NHTSA notes that Hyundai owners are in luck as a new ABS module fuse will fix the issue. However, Kia owners still need to wait. In the meantime, if you think your vehicle is affected, the NHTSA has a free tool on its website where you can input your VIN and find out about any pertinent recalls. If you haven't already, you should be receiving notification through the mail as well.
Recalls are a pain and have the potential to be dangerous if handled improperly. The one silver lining is that safety-related recalls incur no charges on the owner and all it often requires is a trip to the dealership to remedy, if there is a fix in place. It bears repeating, as no one wants a house fire. If you own any of those listed Hyundais or Kias, do not park them near anything you don't want catching on fire.