Hyundai, Kia Recall 2022: Fire, Melting Hazard Is Forcing These SUV Owners To Park Outside

Both Hyundai and Kia are warning certain SUV drivers of a potential fire hazard that requires them to park their vehicles outside.

The vehicles recalled include over 245,000 2020 to 2022 Hyundai Palisade SUVs and over 36,400 2020 to 2022 Kia Telluride SUVs.

The recall warning notice comes as the vehicles can potentially start on fire when parked or while driving due to an electrical short in the tow hitch harness.

The companies said they have received 25 reports of fires or melting incidents in the U.S. and Canada related to the faulty tow hitch harness, the recall report said. No crashes or injuries have been reported.

According to the South Korean automakers, certain Palisades equipped with a tow harness installed as original equipment on the SUVs or purchased as an additional accessory from a Hyundai or Kia dealership can have an electrical short if debris and moisture accumulate on the tow hitch harness module printed circuit board.

The safety issue can result in a fire, causing a risk of injury while driving or when the vehicle is parked.

The companies are advising impacted SUV owners to park outside and away from any structures until the recall repair has been completed on the vehicle.

To temporarily repair the problem, dealers will inspect the tow hitch module and remove the fuse in Hyundai Palisade SUVs, as necessary, at no charge to the owners. Kia has no interim remedy to repair the tow hitch fire hazard in the Telluride SUVs. A complete repair is still in development with both companies, they said.

Affected vehicle owners can expect to receive a notification letter about the fire risk starting on Oct. 17.

For more information about the recall, Hyundai owners can call the company's customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Impacted Kia owners can call customer service at 1-800-333-4542.

Both Hyundai and Kia have stopped the sale of the recalled Palisades and Telluride SUVs until a repair for the fire risk is developed, and the vehicles are repaired, the Associated Press reported.