Fires! Park 2020-22 Hyundai Palisades, Kia Tellurides Outside

A good place to park… Click to Enlarge.

Hyundai Motor America and Kia America are telling owners of some Model Year 2020-2022 Hyundai Palisade and Kia Telluride vehicles park their cars outside and away from homes or other structures until their vehicles have been repaired, due to new recalls for the risk of fire. More than 280,000 SUVs are potentially involved.

An accessory tow hitch made and installed in Korea or sold through dealerships may allow moisture into the harness module, causing a short circuit. In some cases, an electrical short can cause a vehicle fire while driving or while parked and turned off. As a temporary repair, Hyundai dealers will inspect the tow hitch module and remove the fuse, as necessary. A short-term repair is not available for Kia vehicles, which are apparently without a fuse in some cases. 

The actual recall repair that solves the fire safety defect is under development. When a repair is available, all owners of vehicles potentially equipped with affected trailer hitch wiring harnesses will be notified by mail with instructions to bring their vehicles to a Hyundai or Kia dealer, The national Highway Traffic Safety Administration said this morning in a rare ❗ Critical Vehicle Recall Information ❗ bulletin.

Vehicle owners can visit NHTSA.gov/recalls and enter their 17-digit vehicle identification number to see if their vehicle is under recall. Owners can also download NHTSA’s SaferCar app for Apple or Android. Enter the vehicle, tires, car seat, or other vehicle equipment, and the app will push a notification if a recall is issued.