Hyundai And Kia Recall Nearly 6 Lakh Cars Over Fire Risk In The US

2016-Hyundai-Santa-Fe-Facelift

Hyundai and Kia have announced recall of 5,91,000 units in the United States over brake fluid leak and it possesses fire risk

Hyundai Motor Group comprising of Hyundai and Kia have announced the recall of 5,91,000 vehicles in the Stateside due to the brake fluid leak. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has issued a notice stating that the deviation in supplier quality could lead to internal leak of brake fluid inside the Hydraulic Electronic Control ECU (HECU).

This could result in electrical short in some cases and increases the possibility of fire in the engine compartment whilst driving. The worse scenario is the first could be trigger even when the car is not cranked up. The popular Hyundai Santa Fe models manufactured from MY2013 to MY2015 account for 1,51,000 in number and all other models are Kia branded.

The Kia Optima sedan accounts for 2,83,803 units in the call back campaign, produced between 2013 and 2015. About 1,56,567 units of the Sorento between 2014 and 2015 are also part of the recall. Kia will notify the owners of the affected models through mail and instructions to bring them to nearby Kia or Hyundai dealerships will be advised.

kia optima sedan

The skilled personnel at the dealerships will inspect the vehicle to see if the Hydraulic Electronic Control ECU (HECU) unit is affected for brake fluid leak. If it turns out to be the case, the HECU will be replaced and the repair expenses will be reimbursed. Carmakers recalling their models has been a regular affair in recent times, not just abroad but also in India.

Earlier this year, Hyundai announced the recall of Elantra and Elantra Touring models in the United States due to another electrical short circuit issue, possible when water gets into the ABS computer unit increasing fire risk.

Hyundai Motor India Limited (HMIL) issued a recall for the CNG variants of the Grand i10 and old Xcent for a possible CNG filter assembly issue late last year. The recall campaign led to the call back of a total of 16,409 units manufactured between August 1, 2017 and September 30, 2019 as the non-ABS and CNG variants of both the models were involved.