As if they haven’t had an eventful year yet, Kia (KIMTF) -) and Hyundai (HYMLF) -) owners are facing even more issues affecting their cars.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced on Sept. 27 that the South Korean automakers are recalling more than three million vehicles in the United States due to the risk of fires originating in the engine compartment.
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Hyundai’s recall affects more than 1.6 million vehicles spanning across several model years and models including the 2011-2015 Elantra, Genesis Coupe, Sonata Hybrid, 2012-2015 Accent, Azera, Veloster, 2013-2015 Elantra Coupe, Santa Fe, 2014-2015 Equus, 2010-2012 Veracruz, 2010-2013 Tucson, 2015 Tucson Fuel Cell, and the 2013 Santa Fe Sport.
According to the NHTSA and Hyundai, the module controlling the anti-lock brake system can leak brake fluid internally and cause an electrical short, which can result in an engine compartment fire.
Kia’s recall affects more than 1.7 million vehicles, including the 2010-2019 Borrego, 2014-2016 Cadenza, 2010-2013 Forte, Forte Koup, Sportage, 2015-2018 K900, 2011-2015 Optima, 2011-2013 Optima Hybrid, Soul, 2012-2017 Rio, 2011-2014 Sorento, and the 2010-2011 Rondo.
According to the NHTSA and Kia, the hydraulic electronic control units can experience an electrical short, which can result in an engine compartment fire.
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To avoid potential additional property damage, the NHTSA and the automakers are advising owners to park their cars outside and away from homes and other structures until repairs are complete, as fires can occur even the vehicles are parked and turned off. Kia and Hyundai are offering corrective repairs free of charge at their dealerships, and owners of affected vehicles will be notified via mail in November.
Hyundai said that it has reports of 21 fires and 21 other thermal incidents since 2017 that are related to their recall. Additionally, Kia has reports of 10 confirmed fires and 7 melting incidents related to their recall.
These recalls come as another blow to Kia and Hyundai, as the “Kia Boyz” wave of auto thefts have exposed security vulnerabilities in its cars, prompting auto insurers to stop writing policies for certain Kia and Hyundai models and cities across the United States to file lawsuits against the South Korean automakers. Earlier this year, Kia and Hyundai have rolled out software updates for affected cars to remedy the problems and offered free steering wheel locks to concerned owners.
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