Kia warns some owners to park their vehicles outside due to fire risk

Until the problem has been fixed, Kia and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration are warning owners to keep the vehicles parked outside and away from their homes and other buildings or vehicles to prevent any possible fire from spreading.

The recall applies to some model year 2017 through 2021 Sportages and 2017 through 2019 Cadenzas that aren’t equipped with Smart Cruise Control. Smart Cruise Control enables the vehicle to use radar to automatically maintain a safe distance from other cars on the highway. Vehicles with regular cruise control may be involved in the recall, Kia said.

In the vehicles involved in this recall, some electronic circuits under the hood can develop a short circuit resulting in overheating and possibly a fire, according to documents posted at NHTSA.gov.

Owners of vehicles involved in the recall will be notified by mail beginning April 30, Kia said in a statement.