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DETROIT (AP) — Hyundai and kia They tell owners of nearly 485,000 vehicles in the US to park them outdoors, as they can catch fire even if the engines are turned off.
The recalls from two Korean automakers are another in a long series of fire and engine failure problems that have plagued companies for the past six years.
This time, the problem is contamination that can cause an electrical short in the anti-lock brake control module. This increases the risk of fire when vehicles are being driven or parked.
Affected are select Kia Sportage SUVs from 2014 to 2016 and the K900 sedan from 2016 to 2018. The recalled Hyundais include 2016 to 2018 Santa Fe SUVs, 2017 and 2018 Santa Fe Sports, 2019 Santa Fe XL and 2014 and 2015 Tucson SUVs.
Automakers say they received 11 fire reports in the US but no injuries.
Documents released Tuesday by US safety regulators say car owners must park vehicles on and off structures until repairs are made.
Dealers will replace a fuse. In addition, Hyundai dealers will inspect the control modules and replace them if necessary. Hyundai will send notification letters from April 5 and Kia will send them on March 31.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says vehicle owners can go to www.nhtsa.gov and enter their 17-digit vehicle identification number to see if their car has been recalled.
When Hyundai finds a security flaw, it said, “we act quickly and efficiently to recall the vehicle and resolve the issue at no cost to affected customers.”
kia He said there are warning signs that drivers can see or smell. The anti-lock brake warning light may come on and they may smell something burning or melting, or they may see smoke coming from the engine compartment.
Tuesday’s recalls come after the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration stepped up a series of investigations into the engine compartment fires that have plagued Korean automakers.
In December, the agency combined two studies from 2017 into a new engineering analysis covering more than 3 million vehicles from 2011 to 2016 model years. At the time, NHTSA had received 161 engine fire complaints, some of which occurred in vehicles that had already been recalled.
The first recall from companies dealing with engine failures and fires dates back to September 2015. They have since issued at least eight more recalls for a number of engine issues, according to NHTSA documents.
The agency said it was assessing whether previous recalls covered a sufficient number of vehicles. It will also monitor the effectiveness of previous recalls and the “long-term viability of relevant programs and non-security field actions carried out by Hyundai and Kia.”
At the time, automakers said they were running multiple recalls to address engine issues, including recalls, new engine monitoring technology, and extended warranties.
Michael Brooks, principal adviser for the nonprofit Center for Auto Safety, said Tuesday’s recalls differ from the engine failure issue that caused most previous Hyundai-Kia fire recalls. “While the NHTSA has the authority to order the recall and potentially repurchase of all affected vehicles, the individual fire defects that plagued millions of Hyundai vehicles over several model years make this a very difficult task,” he said.
In November 2020, NHTSA announced kia and Hyundai must pay $137 million in fines and safety improvements for moving too slowly to recall more than 1 million vehicles with engines that could fail. The fines resolved a previous investigation into companies’ behavior that involved the recall of multiple models from the 2011 model year.
Kia would pay $27 million and invest $16 million in safety performance measures. NHTSA said another $27 million payment will be delayed as long as Kia meets safety requirements.
Kia denied the US allegations, but said it wanted to avoid a protracted legal battle.
Data collected by the Auto Safety Center shows that more than 30 fire engine and engine-related recalls have been issued in the United States from Hyundai and Kia since 2015. The recalls include more than 20 models from 2006 to 2021, totaling more than 8.4 million vehicles.
Most of the recalls included manufacturing defects that prevented oil from flowing through the engine block. Many involved expensive engine replacements.
Hyundai and Kia also embarked on a US “product development campaign” involving 3.7 million vehicles to install software to alert drivers of potential engine failures.
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