One of the Korean make’s best-sellers has a fault that could cause a fire – it’s been recalled elsewhere; NZ is awaiting information from Seoul.

NEW Zealand’s Hyundai distributor will involve in a recall of a popular model to address a possible fire risk due to a manufacturing error - just as soon as head office in South Korea identifies how many cars are affected.

Hyundai New Zealand has given this explanation after being asked why is has yet to publicise a remedial action for the Tucson compact sports utility highly-favoured by Kiwis.

The car has been subject to a recall elsewhere and it has become big news. The brand in Australia is advising owners to park the vehicles in an open space away from garages and flammable materials due to fears of the car's engine catching fire, even when the vehicle is turned off.

The fault is with current generation cars built from November 2014 to November 2020.

It has been traced to a potential issue in the electronic circuit board in the Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS) module. This may short circuit when the components are exposed to moisture. This can occur even when the engine is switched off because there is constant power supply to the component. As a remedy, Hyundai has developed a relay kit to prevent a power surge.

The make issued its bulletin, initially in the United States – where a dozen cars have caught fire – and most recently in Australia, where 93,000 vehicles are involved. Our neighbour announced its recall last week.

Hyundai NZ says it is aware of the issue and the sales network has been given a heads-up; but that’s it so far.

“Whilst we are aware of this recall, we have not yet received official communication from Hyundai Motor Company regarding the vehicles affected in New Zealand,” explained Kimberley Waters, the Auckland-based brand’s spokeswoman, in an email yesterday responding to questions sent on Monday about an apparent lack of action.

“Customer safety is paramount. We have already taken steps to communicate this expected recall with our dealer network, update our website and brief in our Customer Experience team should our customers have queries.

“As soon as we receive official notification of the vehicles affected in New Zealand we will initiate our recall process and contact those customers affected to arrange for their vehicle to be booked in and repaired.”

“We have had no reports of any incidents related to this recall issue. Whilst customers are able to continue driving their vehicle we will be advising them if their Tucson displays any warning lamp on the cluster, to stop driving and contact Hyundai Roadside Assistance on 0800 498 632.”

The issue has been sensationalised in some overseas media, with reports the fault will cause the cars to "explode".

The remedial action might take some time to process; Hyundai in Australia has said it expects the replacement part required for its cars to start arriving in late February but has warned all 93,000 replacement components won't arrive at once as it takes time to produce them.

The fix itself is straightforward – it’s fitting a fuse repair kit – and quick. Hyundai Australia cites the job taking about 40 minutes.

Hyundai Korea’s advice says it is safe to continue driving the vehicles and that the brakes will still work as normal.

Meantime, it is set to release a new generation Tucson here soon.