Hyundai and Kia recall 3.4 million cars over fire risk, and urge people to park them outside

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Hyundai and Kia are recalling nearly 3.4 million vehicles in the U.S. and urging owners to park them outside due to fire risk.

The recall impacts several sedan and SUV models between 2010 to 2019. The United States National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s notice states the anti-lock brake control can leak fluid, and cause an electrical short, which may lead to fires.

Owners are advised to park outside to prevent houses or buildings from catching on fire.

Here are the cars involved in the recall:

Hyundai

2012-2015 Accent

2012-2015 Azera

2011-2015 Elantra

2013-2015 Elantra Coupe

2014-2015 Equus

2011-2015 Genesis Coupe

2013-2015 Santa Fe

2013 Santa Fe Sport

2011-2015 Sonata HEV

2010-2013 Tucson

2015 Tucson Fuel Cell

2012-2015 Veloster

2010-2012 Veracruz

Kia

2014-2016 Cadenza

2011-2013 Forte/Forte Koup

2015-2017 K900

2010-2015 Optima

2011-2013 Optima Hybrid

2011-2017 Rio

2010 Rondo

2011-2014 Sorento

2011-2013 Soul

2010-2013 Sportage

Kia
000270,
+0.62%
and Hyundai
005380,
+0.21%
dealers will replace the anti-lock brake fuse at no cost to owners, and both companies say the cars remain safe to drive.

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So far, 21 fires in the affected Hyundai vehicles have been reported plus another 22 “thermal incidents” including smoke, burning and melting of parts, the documents say. Kia reported 10 fires and melting incidents, according to the Associated Press. Kia will send notification letters to owners beginning Nov. 14, and Hyundai will do the same beginning Nov. 21.

The two car companies recalled 92,000 vehicles over similar fire risks back in August.

Vehicle owners who have further questions can contact the NHTSA at 1-888-327-4236 or go to its website at NHTSA.gov.

The news for Kia and Hyundai comes a few months after the Korean automakers agreed to a $200 million settlement over numerous complaints that their cars are too vulnerable to theft. That settlement impacted roughly 9 million cars that were broken into due to a lack of anti-theft immobilizers.

The surge in break-ins coincided with several viral how-to TikTok videos in which users outlined a step-by-step process on how to infiltrate these cars, and in some cases steal the vehicles by hacking their “start/stop” engine buttons.

Read on: ‘We have different values’: My husband took out a $50,000 car loan. What about spending money on our kids?

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