Hyundai, Kia Recall Over 480,000 Cars At Risk Of Catching Fire, Even When Turned Off

Hyundai Motor Co. HYMTF and Kia Corp. KIMTF are recalling over 480,000 automobiles that are at risk of catching on fire, even if the vehicles have been turned off.

What Happened: The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) issued a statement announcing the defects were identified in the 2014-2016 Kia Sportage, the 2016-2018 Kia K900 and the 2016-2018 Hyundai Santa Fe. According to a statement report, 357,830 Hyundai cars and 126,747 Kia models are at risk of spontaneous fires.

The NHSTA advised the owners of the automobiles to “park their vehicle outdoors and away from other vehicles or structures due to a risk of fire, even if the vehicle is turned off.”

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Why It Happened: The Korean carmakers did not offer a reason on why this situation occurred, although the NHSTA stated it was possible that “an electrical component in the anti-lock brake system may experience an internal electrical short circuit that could increase the risk of fire both while the vehicle is being driven or parked.”

Last November, the NHTSA announced consent orders against Hyundai and Kia related to recalls for vehicles equipped with Theta II engines. Hyundai was fined $140 million and Kia was fined $70 million, and each company was ordered to retain an independent auditor that would report directly to the NHTSA on their compliance with federal safety standards.

Photo: Ah Riz Ko / Pixabay