Hyundai, Kia issue massive recall for potentially deadly flaw

For yet another week, major automakers issued large recalls for significant issues that could lead to vehicle failure or even crashes.

South Korean automaker Hyundai Motor Group is being forced to recall more than 330,00 Kia K5 sedans and Hyundai Sonatas.

Kia's top-selling vehicles 2025 (through October)

• Sportage: 150,159 year over year +13%

• K4/Forte: 117,598 YoY +1%

• Telluride: 101,069 YoY +11%

• Sorento: 80,710 YoY +5%

• K5: 60,212 YoY +76% Source: Kia

The Kia K5 shares the same platform, powertrain, and technology as the Hyundai Sonata, according to J.D. Power. Formerly known as the Kia Optima, the K5 jumped from being Kia's eighth best-selling car last year to its fifth-best this year, thanks to a 76% year-over-year sales increase.

In 2020, J.D. Power said of the 2021 Kia K5: "The K5 has the right mix of style, size, sophistication, safety, and value to remain on the radar of people who still prefer family-sized cars to compact SUVs."

However, this week, regulators recalled more than a quarter of a million Kia K5s due to a potential fire hazard.

NHTSA recalls more than 330,000 Kia, Hyundai sedans

This week, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced the recall of 250,547 Kia K5 midsize sedans, model years 2021-2024, and an additional 85,043 Hyundai Sonatas, model years 2020-2023.

The purge control system check valve that controls the direction of airflow from the charcoal canister to the engine on vehicles equipped with 1.6L Turbocharged Gasoline Direct Injection could deteriorate over time, "allowing pressurized air to flow from the intake manifold onto the fuel tank," according to the NHTSA recall notice.

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The purge control system check valve that controls the direction of airflow from the charcoal canister to the engine on vehicles equipped with 1.6L Turbocharged Gasoline Direct Injection could deteriorate over time, "allowing pressurized air to flow from the intake manifold onto the fuel tank," according to the NHTSA recall notice.

If that happens, the fuel tank could expand and make contact with the car's hot exhaust pipe components. If a motorist continues to drive with the engine in that condition for a prolonged period, parts of the fuel tank may melt, potentially resulting in a fuel leak that could cause a fire.

Kia will fix the issue for free and reimburse owners for repair expenses they already incurred "pursuant to Kia's General Reimbursement Plan filed May 1, 2024."

Hyundai dealers will "inspect and replace the check valve. The fuel tank assembly will be inspected for damage and replaced if necessary. Additionally, dealers will inspect and update the engine control unit software," according to the NHTSA notice.

Hyundai Motor recall comes from U.S. plant

Hyundai makes most of its Hyundai Sonatas in South Korea, China, and Pakistan.

While the company says it assembles its Hyundai Sonata and Sonata Hybrid vehicles in South Korea, the Montgomery, Alabama, plant is listed in the NHTSA recall.

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"Based on manufacturing and sales records, the subject vehicles include certain model year 2020-2023 Hyundai Sonata vehicles equipped with 1.6-liter turbocharged engines produced on the specified dates by Hyundai Motor Company (“HMC”) and Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama (“HMMA”) for sale in the U.S. market," the NHTSA said.

The Alabama plant, Hyundai's first U.S. facility when it was built in 2005, employs about 4,200 people. The plant has assembled more than 6.2 million vehicles since its inauguration and is expected to produce nearly 360,000 this year.

The Kia models were manufactured at Kia's Georgia plant between March 27, 2020, and January 2024.

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This story was originally reported by TheStreet on Nov 21, 2025, where it first appeared in the Automotive section. Add TheStreet as a Preferred Source by clicking here.