Hyundai, Kia Ask 500,000 Owners To Park Vehicles Outside Due To Fire Risk

(RTTNews) - South Korean carmakers Hyundai and Kia are asking owners of almost 500,000 cars and SUVs in the United States to park their vehicles outside and away from buildings following a possible defect, which can lead to the vehicles spontaneously catch fire even when not in use.

The companies said that the problem arises when due to the presence of "foreign contaminants" the anti-lock brake computer control module short circuits and could possibly start a fire in the engine compartment.

Hyundai issued a recall for 2016-2018 model year Santa Fe SUVs, 2017-2018 Santa Fe Sport SUVs, 2019 Santa Fe XL models and 2014-2015 Tucson SUVs. Kia is recalling 2016-2018 K900 sedans and 2014-2016 Sportage SUVs. In total, Hyundai is recalling 357,830 vehicles while Kia is recalling 126,747.

The companies said that dealers would inspect the vehicles' anti-lock braking control module, which is a small computer system that controls the vehicle's emergency anti-lock braking system, and may change it with a new one. Dealers are also expected to replace free of cost a fuse that controls the electric current to the anti-lock braking control unit. The new fuse is expected to reduce the amount of power going into the module.

In documents filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Kia stated that it is aware of three vehicles having caught fire. The companies also said that owners could safely continue driving the vehicles, but they should be parked away from any buildings or structures. Owners can check the NHTSA's auto safety website for more details or contact their dealer for any queries.