Several Hyundai Palisade and Kia Telluride vehicles built between 2020 and 2022 have been recalled by South Korean automakers due to a potential fire risk when parked or in driving caused by a trailer hitch issue.
Fire Incidents Involving Hyundai and Kia SUVs
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), owners of some Hyundai and Kia SUVs that have recently been recalled due to fire concerns should park them outside and away from residences while they are being fixed.
Numerous Hyundai Palisade and Kia Telluride vehicles produced between 2020 and 2022 have been recalled by South Korean automakers due to a potential fire risk when parked or in operation caused by a trailer hitch issue, according to the news story by Aljazeera.
In compliance with federal laws, NHTSA said that a "stop sale" is also being implemented for the impacted unsold vehicles at dealers and vehicle processing facilities.
The department stated in a consumer advisory that no fix for the issue has been found and that no documented related fires, accidents, or injuries have occurred.
The advisory said that owners of impacted vehicles will be informed when a fix is ready and instructed to take their SUVs to a Hyundai or Kia dealer.
The consumer advisory also stated that 36,417 Kia Telluride and 245,030 Hyundai Palisade cars were included in the recalls.
Kia Telluride
In a statement released on Tuesday, according to Aljazeera, Kia claimed that six fires involving 2020 Telluride models had been reported, five of which only involved "localized melting."
The 2021 or 2022 vehicles were included in the recall out of caution even though there had been no fire incidents involving them.
However, NHTSA noted that for Kia automobiles, there is no such thing as an interim repair.
Hyundai Palisade
The publication also reported that there have been three documented Palisade fire incidents in Canada, according to a Hyundai spokesperson, but none in the U.S.
The spokesperson claimed that the carmaker is aware of eight similar "melting" instances in the U.S. and eight in Canada, neither of which included crashes or injuries.
Unlike the Kia Telluride, NHTSA said that an interim repair could be done to Hyundai Palisade. The tow hitch module will be inspected by Hyundai dealers, who may also need to remove the fuse.
This Is Not the First Time Kia and Hyundai Issued Recall
Nearly 485,000 Hyundai and Kia owners in the U.S. were advised to park their vehicles outside in February because they could catch fire even with the engines off.
The two Korean automakers have been plagued with fire and engine failure issues for the past six years, according to a report by the New York Post.
Affected models include some Kia Sportage SUVs from 2014 to 2016 as well as the K900 sedan from 2016 to 2018.
Meanwhile, certain Santa Fe SUVs from 2016 to 2018, Santa Fe Sports from 2017 to 2018, the 2019 Santa Fe XL, and Tucson SUVs from 2014 and 2015 are among the Hyundai models that have been recalled.
Related Article: What Prompted Hyundai and Kia To Recall Over 20,000 Ioniq 5s and EV6s?
