Hyundai and Kia are going to recall 640,000 vehicles to fix leaks that can lead to fires. More than 200,000 Hyundai Santa Fe SUVs from 2013-2015 and more than 400,000 Kia Optima and Kia Sorento are to be recalled by the two car manufacturers.
The leaks in the cars are related to brake fluid inside a hydraulic control unit for the anti-lock brakes (more popularly known as ABS), these leaks can lead to an electrical short which can cause fires. The recalled cars will be fixed free of cost.
Hyundai said in a statement that if the anti-lock brake comes on, the car shouldn’t be driven and the owners should contact their dealers, also the 12-volt battery should be disconnected from the positive side. It should be noted that Hyundai Santa Fe is also available in Pakistan, which is why owners should be aware of any issues caused in international units. These problems could translate to local units as well if they use similar parts.
According to Hyundai, they first received a complaint about engine fires in Santa Fe 2014 back in 2018. Kia received a complaint about a control unit that melted in a 2015 Sorento last year.
Hyundai has reported 15 incidents that have led to engine fires and Kia has reported 8 such incidents. According to the car manufacturers, they are not aware of any injuries such incidents have caused. Kia will start recalling the vehicles from 15th October, while Hyundai will start it from 23rd October.
The two automakers have been in hot waters previously. Back in February, Hyundai recalled 430,000 small cars for problems similar to this, while Kia has also had such complaints before these incidents. According to a report, 6 million Kia and Hyundai vehicles since 2015 have reported engine failures and fire problems.
