Hyundai Motor America is recalling more than 51,000 vehicles due to a potentially dangerous defect in their trailer hitch wiring systems that could cause fires and disable brake lights.
The recall affects 2022 through 2024 Hyundai Tucson vehicles equipped with an optional Mobis tow hitch wiring harness. The company found that the wiring harness may have been installed incorrectly during manufacturing, allowing water to seep into the control module.
When moisture builds up inside the control module, it can knock out the trailer's lighting system, leaving drivers without functioning stop lamps. In rarer, more serious cases, the water damage can spark an electrical short circuit that causes the control module to overheat and potentially catch fire.
"Inoperative stop lamps increase the risk of a crash, while an electrical short can increase the risk of a vehicle fire," according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's recall report.
The problem surfaced in April when the National Automobile Dealers Association received the first report of nonfunctioning trailer stop lamps on a U.S. market Tucson equipped with the OEM trailer wiring. From that point forward, investigators began digging deeper, analyzing field data and warranty returns to understand what was causing the issue.
By June, Hyundai's North American division, or NASO, had pinpointed the culprit: water intrusion into the trailer wiring harness control module. The company worked with Mobis, the parts supplier, to examine warranty returns and found water and other debris lodged inside the control modules.
Testing conducted at Hyundai's Safety Test and Investigation Laboratory revealed that the water damage could affect both vehicle and trailer lighting in different ways. A critical turning point came in October when authorities learned of a Tucson that suffered thermal damage to its rear end. Further inspection by Mobis and a third-party fire investigator found evidence of electrical shorting inside the control module's circuit board.
By November, Hyundai had received two additional reports of the same problem in the United States. Combined with its laboratory findings, the company's North America Safety Decision Authority made the call to issue a full safety recall on Dec. 11.
As of the filing date, Hyundai has confirmed three fires in the U.S. market and received 287 unique reports of trailer wiring harness failure dating back to June 2022. However, the company said there have been no confirmed crashes or injuries related to the defect in either the United States or Canada.
The fix is straightforward. Hyundai dealers will replace the entire trailer wiring harness at no cost to owners. However, until that replacement happens, the company is urging owners to take precautions. "Owners are advised to park outside and away from structures until the recall repair is complete," according to the NHTSA filing.
Owner notification letters are expected to arrive by Feb. 16, 2026. Owners can reach Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460 for more information.
The remedy component features improved sealing designed to prevent water from getting inside the control module in the first place. Since these vehicles are no longer in production, Hyundai says the condition has already been corrected in newer models.
Vehicle identification numbers for the affected Tucson models became searchable on NHTSA.gov on Dec. 20, allowing owners to check whether their vehicle is included in the recall. Hyundai also noted it will reimburse owners for any out-of-pocket expenses they incurred trying to fix the problem on their own.