Kia has requested owners of 380,000 of its manufactured cars
to park their vehicle outside due to chances of engine compartment fire. In an
attempt to address the problem, the Korean company is in the process of
recalling Sportage SUVs produced between 2017 and 2021, as well as Cadenza
sedans manufactured between 2017 and 2019.

A short circuit in the hydraulic electronic brake control
unit can potentially increase chances of a fire through excessive current being
allowed to pass, the company noted, further asking customers to park their cars
outside their residences and away from important buildings due to the risk, as
per a report by ABC News.

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The company reportedly listed out warning signs such as irregularities
in tire pressure, anti-lock brake, warning lights being turned on the dashboard,
and most of all a burning/melting odour to be marking the problem to car
owners.

The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration began looking
into the issue of engine fires in Kia and Hyundai-made cars in 2019, and officially
filed an investigation after an automobile focused non-profit organisation,
Center for Auto Safety, sought the probe through a petition.

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The national body announced in November that Kia and Hyundai
were to pay $137 million in fines and for improvements in safety measures due to
both the companies being much slower than usual in calling off a total of one
million such vehicles with engines that could fail at any given point of time.

As per the report, engine failures and fire problem with the
cars has led to more than six million of Hyundai and Kia’s cars being affected
since 2015.