Kia likely to recall one of New Zealand's best-selling SUVs due to fire risk

Tuesday, 18 May 2021

The Kia Sportage is being recalled in Australia due to a fire risk. Kia New Zealand has said it will follow suit.

Kia Australia is recalling close to 60,000 Sportage SUV and Stinger sedan models due to a fire risk, and Kia New Zealand is about to follow suit.

The issue affects 56,203 QL Sportage models sold in Australia and built between 2016 and 2021, as well as 1,648 CK Stingers manufactured between 2017 and 2019. In total the recall applies to 57,851 vehicles in Australia, while in New Zealand it will affect more than 15,000 vehicles.

The Stinger rear-drive sedan is also involved in the recall.

The fault involves a problem where moisture can enter the Hydraulic Electronic Control Unit (HECU) and cause a short circuit, which in turn could cause a fire. Even more alarmingly the HCEU, which is responsible for the ABS braking, stability control and traction control systems, can remain live even when the vehicle is switched off, meaning a potential fire could occur when the vehicle is parked in a garage.

In a statement, Kia New Zealand said it had been made aware of a recall action in Australia and is following “appropriate protocols as required by the Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency Recalls Website and is in the process of finalising this information before releasing a similar recall.”

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No fires have been recorded in either Australia or New Zealand, but Kia New Zealand managing director, Todd McDonald said that the company would issue a recall notice.

“The safety of Kia owners is paramount and, whilst there haven’t been any historical incidents of this specific issue happening in New Zealand, we are proceeding with due caution and will issue a recall notice,” McDonald said.

“We will be proactively contacting all owners of affected vehicles and asking them to take their vehicle to their nearest authorised Kia dealership for inspection and repair, the cost of which will be covered by Kia New Zealand.”

According to Kia New Zealand there are approximately 15,000 Sportage SUVs and 120 Stingers that will be subject to the recall. The Sportage has continently been one of the country's most popular SUVs since its launch and a mainstay in the top ten monthly sales figures to this day.

In fact Kia recently removed the Sportage from its New Zealand website as the company said it was unable to meet demand for it due to the ongoing production shortages facing the entire car industry.

“There has been an overwhelming response to Kia Sportage, so much so that we are unlikely to meet demand,” said Mr McDonald.

“Therefore, in order to manage customer expectations, we have taken the unprecedented step of removing it from our website until the all-new model arrives in 2022.”

A spokesperson for Kia New Zealand told Stuff that its removal from the website wasn’t related to the recall issue.

Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency keeps an up-to-date database of all vehicle recalls in New Zealand which can be checked by concerned owners. However, it must be noted that a recall for the QL Sportage and CK Stingers affected hasn’t been issued yet, so won’t appear there.