Kia is telling owners of nearly 380,000 vehicles in the United States to park them outdoors because of the risk of an engine compartment fire. The Korean car manufacturer remembers some Sportage SUVs from 2017 to 2021 and Cadenza sedans from 2017 to 2019 to fix the problem.
The company says a short circuit in the hydraulic electronic brake control unit can cause excessive current, increasing the risk of fire. Owners should also park them away from structures until repairs.
The company says that the mentioned vehicles are not equipped with Kia’s Smart Cruise Control system.
Owners could see the tire pressure, anti-lock brake or other warning lights on their dashboard before the problem occurred. They may also smell of burning or melting.
The owners will be informed starting April 30. Dealers will replace the fuses in the electrical junction box to fix the problem.
Kia says in documents posted on Tuesday by the US National Traffic Safety Administration that it has no reports of accidents, fires or injuries due to the problem.
The withdrawal comes after the start of the National Administration for Traffic Safety investigating Kia and Hyundai engine fires in 2019. The agency opened the survey after the Nonprofit Center for Car Safety filed a petition calling for an investigation. When the investigation began, the agency said it had complaints from owners of more than 3,100 fires, 103 injured and one death.
In November, NHTSA announced that Kia and Hyundai had to pay $ 137 million in fines and safety improvements because they moved too slowly to recall more than 1 million motor vehicles that could fail. The fines address a government investigation into the behavior of companies involving the recall of several models dating back to the 2011 model year.
Kia was to pay $ 27 million and invest $ 16 million in safety measures. Another $ 27 million payment will be delayed as long as Kia meets the safety requirements, NHTSA said.
Kia has denied US allegations, but said it wants to avoid a protracted legal battle.
Engine failures and fire problems with Hyundais and Kias have affected more than 6 million vehicles since 2015, according to NHTSA documents.