Kia tells owners of nearly 380,000 vehicles in the US to park them outside due to the risk of fire in the engine compartment. The Korean automaker is recalling certain Sportage SUVs from 2017 to 2021 and Cadenza sedans from 2017 to 2019 to address the issue.
The company says a short in the hydraulic electronic brake control system can cause excessive current, increasing the risk of fire. Owners must also park them away from structures until repairs are made.
The company says the recalled vehicles are not equipped with Kia’s Smart Cruise Control system.
Owners can see tire pressure, anti-lock braking or other warning lights on their dash before the problem occurs. They can also smell a burning or melting odor.
The owners will be notified from April 30. Dealers will replace the fuses in the electrical junction box to fix the problem.
Kia says in documents posted by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on Tuesday that it has no reports of any accidents, fires or injuries as a result of the problem.
The recall comes after the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has begun investigate Kia and Hyundai motor fires in 2019. The agency opened the probe after the nonprofit automotive safety center filed a petition to settle the investigation. When the investigation began, the agency said it had complaints from owners of more than 3,100 fires, 103 injuries, and one death.
In November, NHTSA announced that Kia and Hyundai would have to pay $ 137 million in fines and safety improvements for slowing down to recall more than 1 million vehicles with defective engines. The fines are a solution to a government investigation into the behavior of the companies with recalls of multiple models from the 2011 model year.
Kia had to pay $ 27 million and invest $ 16 million in safety performance measures. Another $ 27 million will be delayed as long as Kia meets safety requirements, NHTSA said.
Kia denied the US allegations but said it wanted to avoid a lengthy legal battle.
Since 2015, engine failures and fire problems with Hyundais and Kias have affected more than 6 million vehicles, according to NHTSA documents.