Recall 244 Tow Hitch Harness Fire – 2019-2023 Hyundai Santa Fe, 2021-2023 Santa Fe HEV, 2022-2023 Santa Fe Plug-in HEV & Santa Cruz

March 17, 2023 NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 23V181000

Tow Hitch Harness Fire While Parked or Driving

A fire while parked or driving can increase the risk of injury.

 

NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V181

Manufacturer Hyundai Motor America

Components TRAILER HITCHES

Potential Number of Units Affected 567,912

 

Summary

Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2019-2023 Santa Fe, 2021-2023 Santa Fe HEV, 2022-2023 Santa Fe Plug-in HEV and Santa Cruz vehicles potentially equipped with a tow hitch harness installed as original equipment, or purchased as an accessory through a Hyundai dealership. Water accumulation on the tow hitch harness module printed circuit board (PCB) may cause an electrical short, which can result in a fire.

 

Remedy

Owners are advised to park their vehicles outside and away from structures until the remedy is completed. As an interim repair, dealers will inspect the tow hitch module and remove the fuse, as necessary, free of charge. Once the final repair is available, dealers will install a new fuse and wire extension kit. Repairs will be performed free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed May 2023. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai’s number for this recall is 244. This recall is an expansion of previous recall number 22V-633.

 

Notes

Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.nhtsa.gov.

 

Check if your Hyundai has a Recall

 


Description of Campaign: 

Certain 2022-2023MY Santa Cruz, 2019-2023MY Santa Fe, Santa Fe Hybrid, Santa Fe Plug-in vehicles may be equipped with a Genuine Hyundai Accessory tow hitch assembly supplied by and available for purchase through Hyundai as a Port Installed Option (PIO), as a Dealer Installed Option (DIO) or through over the counter part sale.

 

Certain tow hitch harness modules may develop an electrical short circuit. An electrical short could increase the risk of a tow hitch harness module fire while driving or while the vehicle is parked with the ignition off.

 

Affected Vehicles:

  • Certain 2022-2023MY Santa Cruz vehicles
  • Certain 2019-2023MY Santa Fe vehicles
  • Certain 2021-2023MY Santa Fe Hybrid vehicles
  • Certain 2022-2023MY Santa Fe Plug-in vehicles

 

  • It has a 4pin trailer hitch wire harness The vehicle is affected by this recall. The remedy is not yet available. Dealers must not deliver new vehicles for sale or for lease to customers until all open recalls have been performed.  Owners can continue driving these vehicles; however, Hyundai recommends parking their vehicles outside and away from structures until the recall remedy or interim repair is available and completed.

 

  • It does not have a hitch wire harness installed or it has a 7pin trailer hitch wire harnessThe vehicle is not affected by the recall and can be operated as normal. Take the required STUI photos as per TSB 23-01-027H and file the campaign claim to complete the recall.

 

Recommended Alternative Transportation: A Service Rental Vehicle (SRC) should be provided to customers who have a Genuine Hyundai Accessory trailer hitch and 4pin harness who do not feel safe operating their vehicle until a remedy is available.

Customer Talk Tracks:

  • No hitch or harness: Your vehicles has an open Recall 244. This recall affects the trailer hitch harness on vehicles with Genuine Hyundai towing hitch and harness installed. Certain vehicles have experienced electrical shorts in the trailer hitch control module resulting in an increased risk of fire. We inspected your vehicle, and it does not have a Genuine Hyundai towing hitch or harness installed therefore your vehicles is not affected by the recall.
  • Yes hitch, no harness: Your vehicles has an open Recall 244. This recall affects the trailer hitch harness on vehicles with Genuine Hyundai towing hitch and harness installed. Certain vehicles have experienced electrical shorts in the trailer hitch control module resulting in an increased risk of fire. We inspected your vehicle, and it does have a Genuine Hyundai towing hitch, however it does not have a trailer hitch harness installed therefore your vehicles is not affected by the recall.
  • Yes hitch & 4-pin harness: Your vehicles has an open Recall 244. This recall affects the trailer hitch harness on vehicles with Genuine Hyundai towing hitch and harness installed. Certain vehicles have experienced electrical shorts in the trailer hitch control module resulting in an increased risk of fire. We inspected your vehicle, and it does have a Genuine Hyundai towing hitch and 4-pin harness installed, there is currently no remedy available however you can continue driving the vehicle, but it is recommended that you park the vehicle outside until a remedy has been performed.
  • Yes hitch & 7-pin harness: Your vehicles has an open Recall 244. This recall affects the trailer hitch harness on vehicles with Genuine Hyundai towing hitch and harness installed. Certain vehicles have experienced electrical shorts in the trailer hitch control module resulting in an increased risk of fire. We inspected your vehicle, and it does have a

Genuine Hyundai towing hitch however it also has a 7-pin trailer hitch harness installed therefore your vehicles is not affected by the recall.

 

Customer FAQ:

Q1: What is the issue?

A1: The subject vehicles may be equipped with an accessory trailer tow hitch assembly available for purchase through Hyundai or other authorized retailers. The printed circuit board (“PCB”) in the trailer tow hitch harness module may be susceptible to water inflow through the trailer tow hitch wiring harness connector, resulting in an electrical short circuit. An electrical short could increase the risk of a trailer tow hitch harness module fire while driving or while the vehicle is parked with the ignition off/on.

 

Q2: What are the affected vehicles?

A2: The following will be included:

  • Certain 2019-2023MY Santa Fe vehicles
  • Certain 2021-2023MY Santa Fe Hybrid vehicles
  • Certain 2022-2023MY Santa Fe Plug-in vehicles
  • Certain 2022-23MY Santa Cruz vehicles

 

Q3: What is the safety concern?

A3: A vehicle fire increases the risk of injury to occupants or bystanders.

 

Q4: Have there been any accidents or injuries?

A4:  As of the date of this filing (03/17/2023), Hyundai has identified three (3) report(s) of fires that may relate to the defect condition in the U.S. There are no confirmed crashes or injuries related to this condition..

 

Q5: Stop Sale?

A5: Dealer: A dealer “stop sale” has been issued in accordance with federal regulation for involved vehicles unsold at dealers.

Port: A “hold” has been issued for all involved vehicles located at ports and vehicle processing centers.

 

Q6: What will be done during the recall service at the dealer?

A6: Once an official remedy is available, all owners of the subject vehicles will be notified by first class mail with instructions to bring their vehicles to a Hyundai dealer to have the remedy completed free of charge, regardless of whether the affected vehicles are still covered under Hyundai’s New Vehicle Limited Warranty.

 

Hyundai will provide owners of affected vehicles reimbursement for out-of-pocket expenses incurred to obtain a remedy for the recall condition in accordance with the reimbursement plan submitted to NHTSA on February 24,2022.

 

Q7: When will owners be notified?

A7: Owners will be notified via First Class Mail in mid-May 2023.

 


23-01-027H
MARCH, 2023

TRAILER TOW HITCH HARNESS INSPECTION (RECALL 244)

 

IMPORTANT

Vehicle repairs related to safety recalls are critically important and must be performed properly in accordance with TSB procedures. Review this bulletin in its entirety prior to beginning any repair work.

As required by federal law, dealers must not deliver new vehicles for sale or for lease to customers until all open recalls have been performed. Dealers must also perform all open recalls on used vehicles, demo, and rental vehicles prior to placing them into customer use and whenever an affected vehicle is in the shop for any maintenance or repair.

 

Description: Certain 2022-2023MY Santa Cruz, 2019-2023MY Santa Fe, 2021-2023MY Santa Fe Hybrid, and 2022-2023MY Santa Fe Plug-in vehicles may be equipped with a Genuine Hyundai Accessory tow hitch assembly supplied by and available for purchase through Hyundai as a Port Installed Option (PIO), as a Dealer Installed Option (DIO) or through over the counter part sale. Certain tow hitch harness modules may develop an electrical short circuit. An electrical short could increase the risk of a tow hitch harness module fire while driving or while the vehicle is parked with the ignition off.

This bulletin provides the inspection procedure for vehicles NOT equipped with the trailer tow hitch and wire harness or only have the 7-PIN harness installed.

 

IMPORTANT NOTE:

If the vehicle is equipped with a trailer tow hitch and 4-PIN wire harness, please refer to the Recall 244 Dealer Best Practice document for any additional interim instruction. Additional remedy instruction will be provided when available. Do not perform the inspection procedure outlined below.

 

Applicable Vehicles:

  • Certain 2022-2023MY Santa Cruz (NXT)
  • Certain 2019-2023MY Santa Fe (TM)
  • Certain 2021-2023MY Santa Fe Hybrid (TM HEV)
  • Certain 2022-2023MY Santa Fe Plug-in (TM PHEV)

 

Service Procedure:
1. Visually inspect the center rear lower bumper for the following:

  • Genuine Hyundai Accessory trailer tow hitch and 4-PIN wire harness installed.
  • Genuine Hyundai Accessory trailer tow hitch and 7-PIN wire harness installed.
  • Genuine Hyundai Accessory trailer tow hitch installed, but no visible harness connection installed.
  • No trailer tow hitch installed

 

1A. If the vehicle is equipped with a Genuine Hyundai Accessory trailer tow hitch and 4-PIN wire harness, please refer to the Recall 244 Dealer Best Practice document for any additional interim instruction. Additional remedy instruction will be provided when available.

If the vehicle is equipped with a Genuine Hyundai Accessory trailer tow hitch and 7-PIN wire harness, proceed to step 2.

1B. If the vehicle is not equipped with a Genuine Hyundai Accessory trailer tow hitch, then proceed to the next step to complete the procedure.

1C. If the vehicle is equipped with a Genuine Hyundai Accessory trailer tow hitch, but there is no visible wire harness installed, then proceed to the next step to complete the procedure.

 

2. Write the last six digits of the VIN and date of inspection onto a piece of paper and place it near the center of the rear bumper.

 

STUI

Using STUI, take a picture of the rear center lower bumper with the last six digits of the VIN and date of the inspection included. Upload the photo to STUI.

 

Example to the right is a picture of a vehicle not equipped with the Genuine Hyundai Accessory trailer tow hitch.

 

3. Procedure complete.

 


RECALL 244 ATTACHMENT A
CHRONOLOGY OF EVENTS LEADING UP TO DEFECT DECISION

March – August 2022
❖ In March, HMA received a Legal case and Field report for two separate incidents involving model year 2019 Hyundai Santa Fe vehicles potentially related to the defect component. NASO’s Data Review Committee (“DRC”) opened a new registration and monitored field data for similar incidents involving Santa Fe vehicles in the U.S.

September 2022 – February 2023
❖ On September 29, 2022, the DRC reviewed and approved escalation of the investigation to the Technical Review Committee (“TRC”) citing similarities to the defect condition being addressed by Recall 235 (22V-633) filed on August 18, 2022, for certain model year Hyundai Palisade vehicles in the U.S. market1.

❖ From October 2022 to February 2023, TRC actively monitored field information for similar incidents while requesting both warranty returns and exemplar trailer harnesses from in-use vehicles for additional analysis by HMC and the supplier. This condition was also observed in trailer harnesses used in Hyundai Palisade vehicles involved in Recall 235 indicating the heat damage could be caused by internal electrical shorting due to fluid contamination within the trailer harness.

❖ On December 7, 2022, NASO reviewed its initial investigation with NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation during its monthly review of top safety investigations and topics.

❖ On January 25, 2023, NASO provided its first update of the investigation to ODI during the monthly review of top safety investigations and topics.

❖ On February 22, 2023, NASO provided its second update of the investigation to ODI during the monthly review of top safety investigations and topics.

March 2023
❖ On March 9, 2023, the TRC decided to recommend a safety recall to the North America Safety Decision Authority (“NASDA”) to address the defect condition in certain model year Santa Fe and Santa Cruz vehicles equipped with the subject trailer harness module.

❖ On March 10, 2023, NASDA reviewed TRC’s findings and decided to initiate a safety recall of affected Hyundai Santa Fe and Santa Cruz vehicles equipped with SEGI-supplied trailer harness modules in the U.S. and Canada.

❖ As of the date of the initial filing, Hyundai has identified six (6) incidents potentially related to the defect component in the U.S., one (1) report of fire and five (5) reports of thermal damage isolated to the trailer harness module. There are no confirmed crashes or injuries related to this condition.

Vehicle Receipt Date
5NMS3CAD0KH****** 11/3/2021
5NMS5CAD9LH****** 3/9/2022
5NMS5CAD8LH****** 3/9/2022
5NMS5CAA4KH****** 3/11/2022
5NMS6DAJ6NH****** 7/22/2022
5NMS23AD7KH****** 9/13/2022

[1] For further details, refer to Hyundai’s Part 573 Defect Information Report concerning Recall 235 (22V-663).

 


Recall 235 – Tow Hitch Harness Fire While – 2020-2022 Hyundai Palisade

 

Recall 235 – Tow Hitch Harness Fire While – 2020-2022 Hyundai Palisade

 


12 Affected Products

Vehicles

MAKE MODEL YEAR
HYUNDAI SANTA CRUZ 2022-2023
HYUNDAI SANTA FE 2019-2023
HYUNDAI SANTA FE HYBRID 2021-2023
HYUNDAI SANTA FE PLUG-IN HYBRID 2022-2023

 


5 Associated Documents

Recall Acknowledgement

RCAK-23V181-8117.pdf 646.094KB

RCAK-23V181-8117

 


Defect Notice 573 Report

RCLRPT-23V181-1849.PDF 216.037KB

RCLRPT-23V181-1849

 


Chronology

RMISC-23V181-7983.pdf 107.292KB

RMISC-23V181-7983

 


Remedy Instructions and TSB

RCRIT-23V181-7645.pdf 438.133KB

RCRIT-23V181-7645

 


Manufacturer Notices(to Dealers,etc)

RCMN-23V181-6288.pdf 481.386KB

RCMN-23V181-6288

 


Latest Recalls Documents

https://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/acms/cs/documentList.xhtml?docId=23V181&docType=RCL

 


 

 

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