Less than a month after 2020-2022 Hyundai Palisade and Kia Telluride owners were urged not to park their vehicles inside due to a fire risk, a similar recall has been issued for select Kia Sorento and Kia Sportage models.
The new recall notice reveals that foreign material and moisture contamination on the tow hitch harness module’s printed circuit board could result in an electrical short circuit. This could potentially trigger a tow hitch harness module fire.
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The tow hitch harness accessory was supplied by Mobis Parts America. Kia North America’s Safety Office has identified several tow hitch harness-related fires, including a 2016 Sorento. This comes on the back of three confirmed fires occurring in Canada with Kia Telluride models equipped with the same tow hitch.
Involved in this latest recall are 2016-2022 Kia Sorento models built between October 27, 2014, and September 12, 2022, 2021-2023 Kia Sorento Hybrid models built from September 2, 2020, to August 31, 2022, and 2017-2022 Kia Sportage models built from December 10, 2015, to December 7, 2021. A total of 70,887 vehicles are involved in this latest recall.
Kia is still working on a remedy for the issue and is encouraging owners of impacted vehicles to park them outside and away from structures until recall repairs are conducted. Kia has also advised its dealerships not to sell the tow hitch harness and to return any unsold harnesses to Kia America. Dealers will be notified of the recall on November 9, 2022, while owners will be notified from November 14, 2022.
