Hyundai, Kia recall 570,000 vehicles, advise owners to park outside because of fire risk

RV_ · March 24

Excerpt:

"Hyundai and Kia advised owners of 571,467 SUVs and vans to park outside and away form structures because the vehicles could pose a fire risk, according to recall reports submitted to the U.S. National Highway Safety Administration.

The Korean car makers said the recalled vehicles could be equipped with a faulty tow hitch assembly that can take on water and experience an electrical short. This can increase the risk of fire, according to the NHTSA reports."

Source:

https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2023/03/23/hyundai-kia-recall-santa-fe-santa-cruz-carnival/11528543002/

rynosback · March 24

Good thing I am full time and always park outside.

RV_ · March 25

👍

Lloyd · March 25

The fix for most of these is to downgrade the "trailer" fuse from a 30 to a 15 amp fuse. That is on the ones where a fix is listed, some platforms have a "no fix yet, inspection only" notice. I only know this because I'm a tech at a Kia dealer. No idea why the fix isn't the same across all the vehicle lines.

Chalkie · March 25

5 minutes ago, Lloyd said:

The fix for most of these is to downgrade the "trailer" fuse from a 30 to a 15 amp fuse.

Thanks for that info. I had wondered if it was a case of improper fusing for the wire size involved.

Kirk W · March 25

28 minutes ago, Lloyd said:

I only know this because I'm a tech at a Kia dealer.

Thank you for contributing as it is nice to have information from a bonafide source! So often we don't really know the validity of our information.

Darryl&Rita · March 25

Ain't nobody goin' question why a magic fuse fixes the "problem", when most of these fires weren't in vehicles with a trailer connected? Why is there a draw on that circuit, sitting in the driveway? Is my battery going to go dead over a long weekend, sitting? A 15 amp draw will easily kill that battery in short order.

Chalkie · March 25

16 minutes ago, Darryl&Rita said:

Ain't nobody goin' question why a magic fuse fixes the "problem", when most of these fires weren't in vehicles with a trailer connected? Why is there a draw on that circuit, sitting in the driveway? Is my battery going to go dead over a long weekend, sitting? A 15 amp draw will easily kill that battery in short order.

Good point. I figured it might be improper wire routing that was causing a short and then a fuse was not blowing to protect the circuit. As far as killing batteries, I know that when a door doesn't get properly closed the dome light will kill the battery in a day or so. Now I wait until the light goes out before walking away.

Deezl Smoke · March 25

I received the notice for my 2009 Kia Sportage. I do not have a trailer hitch, but the recall mentioned the fuse box. I think it is similar as the mention of moisture intrusion may cause a short and start fire.

Lloyd · March 27

On 3/25/2023 at 6:50 PM, Deezl Smoke said:

I received the notice for my 2009 Kia Sportage. I do not have a trailer hitch, but the recall mentioned the fuse box. I think it is similar as the mention of moisture intrusion may cause a short and start fire.

Yeah, there's basically 3 categories to this recall; no factory hitch/trailer harness, inspection only close recall line; port installed hitch; and dealer installed hitch. Near as I can tell the last 2 are getting the same "fix". Hope this helps.