Hyundai and Kia Latest Engine Fire Updates

Hyundai and Kia are still having problems with engine fires.  The manufacturers are now telling owners to park their vehicles outside of their garages and carports because their vehicles can suddenly ignite even if the vehicles have not been driven.  The warning applies to approximately 485,000 vehicles in the U.S.  The problem is with the antilock braking system module which can leak fluid and cause an internal short circuit that leads to a fire.  This recall now includes 2014 – 2016 Kia Sportage, 2016 – 2019 K900 Sedans, 2016 – 2018 Santa Fe SUVs, 2017 – 2018 Santa Fe Sports, 2019 Santa Fe XL, and 2014 – 2015 Tucson SUVs.  Dealers are supposed to replace a fuse and if necessary the anti-lock brake control module.  Kia is expected to begin notifying owners beginning on March 31^st and Hyundai owners will be notified beginning on April 5^th.  We have previously reported on this issue and the articles are still available for review.  The articles are in the following posting sates: Feb 2020, Sept 2020, Jan 2021, May 2021, and Dec 2021.  The articles can be accessed by clicking on the month and year located on the right side margin and scrolling through the page after it loads.  For additional information, about the recalls, owners can contact Hyundai or Kia by phone or email as listed in the articles.   

Hyundai Recall Update

Back in September of last year, we reported that Hyundai had issued a recall for various vehicles because of a faulty antilock brake system module.  The problem had to do with brake fluid leaking internally within the module that caused the electronics to short circuit and start an engine fire.  Since that report, we have encountered an actual situation with a Hyundai Santa Fe, one of the vehicles recalled.  According to the vehicle owner, the fire spread very quickly and barely had enough time to get his passengers out of the vehicle before it was fully engulfed.  The defective part and extent of damage are shown in the photos below.  Owner notification of the recall was supposed to have begun in October of 2020.  Owners who have not received their notification letter should contact their Hyundai dealer to arrange for a free inspection and/or repair.  The dealer will most likely ask for the vehicle identification number, which can be found on the lower left hand corner of the windshield or on the sticker inside the driver’s side door or pillar.  The list of vehicles to which this recall applies was given in our September 2020 blog entry.  It should be noted that Hyundai has expanded this recall to include approximately 180,000 2019 through 2021 Tucson SUVs and an additional 471,000 2016 through 2018 Tucson vehicles.  The total number of recalled vehicles is now approximately 652,000. However, the problem with the Tucson vehicles does not have anything to do brake fluid leakage as much as it does corrosion of the electronic circuit board causing engine fires. The circuit board is located behind the ABS assembly and is therefore not visible in the photograph below.       

Extent of Fire Damage to Hyundai Santa Fe

Faulty Antilock Brake Module