US: Park These Hyundai And Kia Cars Outside, Fire Risks

After a social media challenge that led to the stealing of thousands of Hyundai and Kia cars in the US, there is yet another alert on the same car brands.

Hyundai and Kia are telling the owners of more than 571,000 SUVs and minivans in the US to park the cars outdoors because the twp hitch harnesses can catch fire while they are parked or being driven.

Hyundai and Kia are recalling the vehicles and warning people to park them away from structures until repairs are made.

The affected Hyundai vehicles include the

2019 to 2023 Santa Fe
2021 to 2023 Santa Fe Hybrid
2022 and 2023 Santa Fe Plug-in hybrid
2022 and 2023 Santa Cruz
2022 and 2023 Kia Carnival Minivan

The water can get into a circuit board on the hitches and cause a short circuit even if the ignitions are off, according to the documents posted by the automakers.

So far, Hyundai has reports of one fire and five heat damage incidents with no injuries, while Kia has no reports of fire or injuries. Last year Hyundai recalled more than 245,000 2020 through 2022 Palisade SUVs for a similar problem.