Hyundai and Kia have issued a recall order affecting about 245,000 Hyundai Palisade and 36,000 Kia Telluride SUVs.
The recall affects SUVs equipped with a tow harness, either from the factory or installed at a dealership.
The wiring harness module for the tow hitch may not be fully sealed, allowing water or debris to contact a printed circuit board inside. This can lead to a short circuit and a fire.
Hyundai and Kia are asking owners to park tow-hitch-equipped Palisades and Tellurides outdoors until dealerships have completed an interim repair. The recall affects vehicles from the 2020-2022 model years. Dealers will not sell affected SUVs until they’ve completed the repair. But it’s a quick one, so if you have placed a deposit on a vehicle, this shouldn’t slow your delivery much.
The two companies are still developing a remedy to give owners functional SUVs that can tow a trailer, but dealers will minimize the fire risk immediately by removing a fuse. While this will render the wiring harness useless, it should let owners park indoors again. The companies plan a more permanent solution later.
Many cars are recalled, often more than once, during their lifespan. Automakers try to contact every owner but don’t always reach them all. Find out whether your car has any outstanding recalls with the easy VIN tool at our recall center.
