Huge Hyundai and KIA recall warns owners of terrifying fire risk
CNN Business is reporting that both Hyundai and KIA have issued a recall for over 357,000 and over 126,000 vehicles, respectively, as well as cautioning owners against parking indoors or close to buildings due to a potential fire risk. Both companies have revealed a problem with the anti-lock brake computer control module, which could short circuit and start a fire inside the engine compartment regardless of whether or not the vehicle is running.
Hyundai's recall is focused on its Santa Fe SUVs manufactured from 2016 to 2018, Santa Fe Sport SUVs from 2017 and 2018, the 2019 Santa Fe XL, and its Tucson SUVs from 2014 and 2015. Meanwhile KIA is recalling K900 sedans from 2016 to 2018 along with Sportage SUVs from 2014 to 2016. According to CNN, KIA has documented three instances of a vehicle catching fire.
This isn't the first time that an automotive manufacturer has had to recall vehicles due to fire risks, either. Chevrolet also had to warn Bolt EV owners to avoid parking indoors back in July of 2021, after supposedly addressing an existing fire risk and associated recall from November of 2020.
What can you do?
If your vehicle is one of the specified makes or models, you can contact your local dealer directly, reach out to Hyudai's or KIA's customer service departments, or check with the NHTSA website.
From there, you can take your vehicle in for recall servicing at no cost. Your vehicle's anti-lock brake control module will be inspected, and if it appears to be faulty it will be replaced. Servicers will also likely replace a fuse in order to reduce the amount of electrical current being provided for the module. Again, this will be at no cost to owners, so if your vehicle falls into any of the associated categories you should consider getting it looked at. Just in case.
In the meantime, both companies have stated that it's still safe to continue to drive their vehicles (which seems to contradict with the risk of fires that can break out even if the vehicle isn't turned on), but that drivers should make sure to park outside and away from buildings as a precaution.