South Korean automakers Hyundai and Kia have issued recalls for more than 280,000 vehicles over fire risk due to faulty wiring.
Hyundai Motor America and Kia America have alerted owners of model year 2020-2022 Hyundai Palisade and Kia Telluride vehicles to park their cars outdoors and away from buildings after a series of fires involving trailer hitch wiring.
The recall involves more than 245,000 Hyundai Palisade and over 36,000 Kia Telluride SUVs in the U.S. and Canada. Although there have been no injuries, the automakers reported 25 fires or melting incidents in both countries.
The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said debris and moisture can accumulate in a circuit board in the tow hitch wiring, which can cause an electrical short and lead to a fire, according to a news release shared on Tuesday.
The issue was first recorded in October 2021 when a fire incident was reported to the Kia North America Safety office.
Hyundai dealers will be inspecting the wiring and removing the fuse as an interim repair. Kia does not have an interim repair, but the company said that a final repair is currently being developed.
“When a repair is available, all owners of vehicles potentially equipped with affected trailer hitch wiring harnesses will be notified by mail with instructions to bring their vehicles to a Hyundai or Kia dealer,” the NHTSA wrote.
Dealers of both automakers also announced a “stop sale” for the affected vehicles until repairs are made.
Vehicle owners are to visit NHTSA.gov/recalls and enter their vehicle identification number to see if their vehicle is under recall.
Kia and Hyundai owners recently suffered a rash of car thefts after TikTok videos teaching viewers how to hotwire their vehicles went viral.
