The National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration (“NHTSA”) announced last week the recall of 245,030 Model Year 2020-2022 Hyundai Palisade vehicles and 36,417 Model Year 2020-2022 Kia Telluride vehicles regarding a potential fire hazard due to a component added by some dealerships.
An accessory tow hitch sold through dealerships may allow moisture into the harness module, causing a short circuit. In some cases, an electrical short can cause a vehicle fire while driving or while parked and turned off.
Luckily, to date, there have been no report of fires, injuries or deaths. The NHTSA is also recommending all of these vehicles be parked outside and away from homes until they can be properly repaired.
As an interim repair, Hyundai dealers will inspect the tow hitch module and remove the fuse, as necessary. An interim repair is not available for Kia vehicles.
The recall repair is under development. When a repair is available, all owners of vehicles potentially equipped with affected trailer hitch wiring harnesses will be notified by mail with instructions to bring their vehicles to a Hyundai or Kia dealer.
If you own one of these vehicles, it’s important to follow the NHTSA instructions and to notify a Hyundia or Kian dealer as soon as possible.
If you or a loved one has been seriously injury in a Chicago product defect case or Chicago car crash, then call the personal injury attorneys at the Bryant Law Group, LLC for a free legal consultation at 312-614-1076.