January 1, Car Owners Warned to Park Outside Amid Mass Recalls

Automakers Hyundai and Kia are warning owners to park their vehicles outside due to a defect that can start a fire.

Hyundai and Kia are recalling 567,912 SUVs and minivans potentially equipped with tow hitch harnesses that can catch fire, either while driving or parked.

The automakers are advising owners to “park their vehicles outside and away from structures until the remedy is completed.”

All of the vehicles impacted by the recall notice have tow hitch harnesses that either came installed as original equipment or were purchased through a dealership. The affected Hyundai models include the 2019-2023 Santa Fe, 2021-2023 Santa Fe HEV, 2022-2023 Santa Fe Plug-in HEV and Santa Cruz vehicles. The one Kia affected is the 2022-2023 Carnival minivan.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the fire risk comes from “water accumulation on the tow hitch harness module printed circuit board (PCB)” that “may cause an electrical short, which can result in a fire.”

So far, Hyundai has reports of one fire and five heat damage incidents. Thankfully, no injuries have been reported.

Until a permanent fix is made available, “dealers will inspect the tow hitch module and remove the fuse, as necessary, free of charge. Once the final repair is available, dealers will install a new fuse and wire extension kit.”

Owners are expected to receive notification letters in May.

Source: U.S. News