Hyundai Warns Australians Not To Park These Cars In A Garage As They Can Catch Fire Even Turned Off

Hyundai’s Australian arm has issued a recall for nearly 100,000 vehicles due to a potential fire risk caused by a short circuit that can happen even when the engine is turned off.

Included in this recall are 9,393 units of the Santa Fe, made from March 16, 2005, and September 22, 2009, 18,734 Elantras, produced between August 17, 2005, and May 14, 2011, and 68,765 i30s assembled from November 7, 2006, and December 14, 2010.

Turning Off The Engine Doesn’t Eliminate The Fire Risk

According to the description of the defect listed by the country’s safety watchdog, a manufacturing error is blamed for “an electronic control circuit board in the ABS module” that could “short circuit when the components are exposed to moisture”. The failure of these parts does not affect the functioning of the brake system.

Nonetheless, due to the increased fire risk posed by this defect, even with the engine turned off, the automaker is advising owners to keep their cars away from the garage, as well as other structures and flammable materials.

“Affected vehicles need to be parked in an open space and away from flammable materials and structures, i.e. not in a garage,” Hyundai said in a statement.

The fix will see authorized technicians install a relay kit in the circuit board, which prevents the power surge and eliminates the risk of fire. The parts are expected to become available from July and the repairs will be made free of charge. Owners should hear from the company over the next few weeks, but meanwhile, they can contact Hyundai’s Customer Care Center at 1800-186-306 with any questions they might have on the topic.

Does This Affect U.S. Cars Too?

Hyundai already issued a recall for 476,111 units of the 2007-2010 Elantra, 2009-2011 Elantra Touring, 2007-2008 Entourage and 2007 Santa Fe vehicles for a similar issue, earlier this year. Back then, the NHTSA noted that “moisture may enter the ABS module and result in an electrical short”.

The recall began on April 2, with dealers installing a relay in the main junction box that prevented the risk of an ABS short-circuit when the car was turned off. If you own one of the above cars and haven’t heard from the Korean automaker yet, you can reach out to them at 1-855-371-9460 or contact the NHTSA Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236.