Hyundai, Kia ask owners to park cars outside, away from buildings over fire incidents

Hyundai and Kia are among the biggest automakers across the world. The Korean automakers are quite popular among the buyers who are looking to buy a value from money car. Hyundai and Kia vehicles are also quite popular for the safety features they offer, however, this time around the car manufacturers are in the news for a different reason. Hyundai and Kia have asked some owners of their large SUVs to park them outside and away from the buildings. The advisory from the automakers came after numerous fire incidents were reported due to a fault in trailer hitch wiring.

Hyundai and Kia are recalling more than 281,000 vehicles in the US because of the problem, but they haven't figured out how to fix it yet. The automakers reported 25 fires or melting incidents in the US and Canada caused by the problem, but no crashes or injuries. The recalls cover more than 245,000 Hyundai Palisade and over 36,000 Kia Telluride SUVs from the 2020 through 2022 model years.

In documents posted on Tuesday by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the companies said debris and moisture can accumulate in a circuit board in the tow hitch wiring. That can cause an electrical short, which can lead to a fire.

Hyundai said that dealers will inspect the wiring and remove a fuse as an interim repair. Kia doesn't have an interim repair. The companies say a final repair is being developed.
In addition, dealers from both automakers have stopped selling the affected SUVs until repairs are made.

(With inputs from PTI)