DETROIT — Hyundai and Kia announced that they are recalling 485,000 vehicles after 11 caught fire. United States safety regulators found that an electrical shortage caused by the antilock brake mechanism could ignite the engine.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) warns owners to park their vehicles outside and away from buildings while they await repairs.
The recall affects some of the vehicles listed below:
- 2017 through 2016 Kia Sportage SUVs
- 2016 through 2018 Kia K900 sedans
- Certain 2016 through 2018 Santa Fe SUVs
- 2019 Santa Fe XL
- 2014 and 2015 Tuscon SUVs
- 2017 and 2018 Santa Fe Sports.
Kia warns that if your antilock brake warning light comes on or if you smell fire, then your vehicle is about to combust. To fix the vehicle, dealers will replace a fuse and inspect the brake antilock control system.
The NHTSA is also investigating past Kia and Hyundai recalls to see if they included enough models and were effective. Furthermore, regulators are looking into the practicality of testing operations organized by Hyundai and Kia.
Hyundai will mail alerts to owners on April 5 while Kia is sending them on Mar. 31. To find out if your automobile is being recalled, go to www.nhtsa.gov/recalls and enter your vehicle identification number (VIN), which is usually found on the lower-left corner of your car's dashboard.
