Park Outside: Hyundai Recalls SUVs for Fire Risk in Computer

Park Outside: Hyundai Recalls SUVs for Fire Risk in Computer
The company logo adorns a tower at a Hyundai dealership in Loveland, Colo., on Oct. 17, 2022. (David Zalubowski/AP Photo)

DETROIT—Hyundai is telling the owners of more than 44,000 SUVs in the United State to park the vehicles outdoors because they can catch fire even if the engines are off.

The automaker says certain 2018 Santa Fe Sport models should be parked away from other vehicles and structures until they are repaired as part of a recall.

The SUVs have anti-lock brake computers that can malfunction and develop an electrical short. That can cause too much electricity in the computer, increasing the risk of a fire. They weren’t included in a February recall of more than 350,000 vehicles for the same problem.

Dealers will replace a fuse with one that limits the current going to the anti-lock brake module. Owners will be notified by mail starting Dec. 26.

Hyundai says in documents posted Tuesday by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that it has four reports of engine compartment fires from vehicles included in both recalls. No injuries were reported.

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