DETROIT — Hyundai and Kia are telling the owners of nearly 92,000 vehicles in the U.S. to park them outside because an electronic controller in an oil pump can overheat and cause fires.
The affiliated Korean automakers are recalling the vehicles and also are telling owners to park them away from structures until repairs are made.
The recalls cover certain 2023 and 2024 Hyundai Palisades, as well some 2023 Tucson, Sonata, Elantra and Kona vehicles. Affected Kias include the 2023 Soul and Sportage as well as some 2023 and 2024 Seltos vehicles.
The companies say in documents posted Thursday by U.S. safety regulators that a capacitor on a circuit board in the oil pump assembly for the transmission may have been damaged by the supplier during manufacturing. That can cause a short-circuit and increase the risk of a fire.
Kia says it has six reports of melting components but no fires or injuries. Hyundai says it has confirmed four “thermal incidents” and no injuries.
Dealers will inspect and replace the oil pump controller if necessary. Hyundai owners will be notified by letter on Sept. 25. Kia will notify owners starting Sept. 28.
Earlier this year, Hyundai and Kia unveiled software that was designed to thwart an epidemic of thefts of their vehicles, caused by a security flaw that was exposed on TikTok and other social media sites. So far, it hasn’t solved the problem. Across the country, thieves are still driving off with the vehicles at an alarming rate.
Data from seven U.S. cities gathered by The Associated Press shows that the number of Hyundai and Kia thefts is still growing despite the companies' efforts to fix the glitch, which makes 8.3 million vehicles relatively easy targets for thieves.