More than 570,000 Hyundai and Kia vehicles recalled over fire risk

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration urged owners to park their cars outdoors until repairs are arranged

Hyundai and Kia are recalling more than 570,000 vehicles over concerns that their tow hitches could catch fire because of an electrical short-circuit.

The recall, announced Thursday by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, covers the 2022-23 Santa Cruz, 2019-23 Hyundai Santa Fe, 2021-23 Santa Fe Hybrid, 2022-23 Santa Fe Plug-in Hybrid, and 2022-23 Kia Carnival models.

NHTSA urged owners to park their cars outside until repairs can be arranged.

Thursday’s action is related to an August 2022 recall in which 245,030 Hyundai Palisades were recalled because of fire risk. In that case, federal regulators warned that debris and moisture could accumulate on a circuit board that is part of the vehicle’s tow hitch, in some cases shorting it out and causing a fire.

Owners can determine whether their vehicle is covered by the recall by visiting NHTSA.gov/recalls and plugging in their 17-digit vehicle identification number.