Owners of some recently recalled Hyundai and Kia SUVs due to fire hazards should park them outdoors away from their homes until they are repaired, the US Department of Transportation said Tuesday.
South Korean automakers last week recalled thousands of Hyundai Palisade and Kia Telluride vehicles made between 2020 and 2022, citing a risk of fire while parked or driving due to a trailer hitch problem, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration website showed.
A fix for the problem has not been identified and has not been confirmed. ifire, shock or injury related, the department said in a consumer alert.
Nevertheless, Come on said in a statement Tuesday that six fires had been reported in 2020 model year Telluride vehicles, five of which involved “melting located only”. The 2021 or 2022 models did not have fires and were included in the recall as a precaution, he added.
kia said that will reimburse owners repair costs already incurred.
The Transportation Department did not respond to a request for comment regarding the apparent discrepancy with Kia regarding the fires.
“An accessory trailer hitch sold through dealerships may allow moisture to enter the harness module, causing a short circuit,” the consumer alert said. “In some cases, a electrical short circuito can cause a fire in a vehicle while driving or while it is parked and turned off.”
The American representatives of Hyundai they did not respond to a request for comment.
Once the fix is available, owners of affected vehicles will be notified to bring their SUV to a Hyundai or Kia dealer, according to the alert.
The recalls involved 245,030 Hyundai vehicles. Palisade y 36,417 Kia Tellurideadded the consumer alert. (Rts)
