Hyundai and Kia said on Thursday that they are recalling nearly 92,000 vehicles.
Officials said the electric oil pump assembly in the vehicles may overheat and start a fire. They advised that owners should park their vehicles outside their homes, away from structures, even when the vehicles are turned off.
The companies have had reports of incidents, according to Reuters. Kia said it has received six reports of melting components but no fires or injuries. Hyundai said it has confirmed four “thermal incidents” and no injuries.
“A damaged capacitor on the pump controller PCB could impact electrical operation leading to heat damage to the electric oil pump circuit board, connector, and wiring harness,” Kia’s defect report to the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said, according to Autoblog.
“The heat damage at the pump increases the risk of a vehicle fire in addition to a potential Controller Area Network … communication disruption for multiple onboard controllers.”
Hyundai and Kia said customers should keep an eye out for a check-engine light, but the first sign of a problem could be smoke, reported Autoblog.
The Hyundai recall covers 52,008 vehicles. According to NHTSA, the recall affects 2023-2024 Palisade SUVs and 2023 Tucson, Sonata, Elantra, and Kona vehicles.
The Kia recall covers 39,765 vehicles. NHTSA reported the recall affects 2023-2024 Seltos SUVs and 2023 Soul and Sportage vehicles.
“Owners are advised to park outside and away from structures until the recall repair is complete,” NHTSA noted.
Hyundai will begin notifying customers in September.
Customers can bring their vehicles to Hyundai dealerships for a free inspection and replacement.
The South Korean automakers issued a recall for more than 570,000 vehicles earlier this year. Concerns were raised over an electrical short that could start a fire in the tow hitch harness module.
Hyundai and Kia also recalled over 250,000 vehicles in August 2022, warning drivers to park outside because of the potential for fire from a trailer hitch wiring issue.
