Owners of some Hyundai and Kia SUVs recently recalled due to fire hazards should park them outdoors and away from homes until they are repaired, the United States Department of Transportation said. South Korean automakers last week recalled thousands of Hyundai Palisade and Kia Telluride vehicles built from 2020 to 2022, citing a risk of fire while parked or driven due to a trailer hitch problem, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s website showed. No repair has been identified for the problem and no related fires, crashes or injuries have been confirmed, the department said in a consumer alert. However, Kia said in a statement Tuesday that six fires have been reported in 2020 model year Telluride vehicles, five of which involved “local melting only.” The 2021 or 2022 models did not have fires and were included in the recall as a precaution, he added. Kia said it would reimburse owners for repair costs already incurred. The Department of Transportation did not respond to a request for comment on the apparent disagreement with Kia over the fires. “An accessory tow hitch sold through dealerships may allow moisture into the harness unit, causing a short circuit,” the consumer alert said. “In some cases, an electrical short can cause a vehicle to catch fire while you’re driving or while it’s parked and locked.” A Hyundai spokesman later said there have been three confirmed Palisade fire incidents in Canada, but none in the US. The automaker is aware of eight related “melting” incidents in the U.S. and eight in Canada, the spokesman added, with no accidents or injuries. Once a fix becomes available, owners of affected vehicles will be notified to bring their SUVs to a Hyundai or Kia dealer, the notice said. The recalls affected 245,030 Hyundai Palisade and 36,417 Kia Telluride vehicles, the consumer alert added.
