'HOA President About to Show Up:' Man Says There's a Recall on Kias, Hyundais Over Brakes. Then He Shows What Can Happen
"No one got hurt thank God."
If you polled Kia drivers about what they wouldn’t want to happen to their car, seeing it engulfed in flames would be fairly high on the list.
Yet someone’s Kia appears to have done exactly that, based on a video that recently went viral.
TikToker Matt Garcia (@mattdotgarcia) posted footage of a roaring fire rippling across the hood of a silver Kia Sportage.
The vehicle sits in a driveway that inclines downward, away from a house, meaning the car stares up against a garage when parked. The garage is attached to the front of the house.
In the video, you can see that the fire likely jumped from the Kia onto the house.
“PSA: there’s a recall on Kia’s & Hyundais on the antilock [brake] system,” Garcia writes. “This is my cousin’s house, no one got hurt thank God & the house is actually fine believe it or not!”
In a follow-up TikTok, Garcia shows the aftermath of the blaze. Black soot smears the pavement of the driveway. The front of the house looks like it was singed. The hood of the Kia is up and has turned white from heat exposure.
He appears to have taken down that post.
“If you own a Kia or Hyundai, check to see if it qualifies for recall,” he writes in the initial TikTok.
The Massive Hyundai and Kia Recall
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Garcia is correct about the recall.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration issued a warning in late 2023 about Hyundai and Kia vehicles impacted by an “anti-lock brake system module could leak brake fluid internally and cause an electrical short.”
The warning also specifically noted that drivers should park their cars away from the house—something Garcia’s cousin clearly failed to do.
“Until these recalled vehicles have been repaired, the manufacturers say the safest place to park them is outside and away from homes and other structures. Fires can occur whether the vehicle is parked and turned off or while driving,” the government agency stated.
Hyundai Motor Group, the company that owns both Hyundai and Kia, recalled 13 different Hyundai and Genesis models in 2023.
There were a lot of cars on the road impacted by the recall: 1.6 million to be exact.
They also recalled 10 different models of Kia, including the Sorrento. Those Kias total 1.7 million cars on the road.
The Sportages impacted by the faulty anti-lock brake system were sold between 2011 and 2014. Kia published a page on their website for drivers to check on vehicles they purchased that might be impacted by recalls, which you can access here.
TikTok users had fun with the video, sometimes at Kia’s expense.
“Here at Kia our summer sales are heating up!” a user going by @_lithonion_ quipped.
Another commenter poked fun at the bizarre sight of a car just randomly burning away in someone’s driveway.
“HOA president about to show up ‘You cannot have a fire going in your yard!!!!’” @OniRockstar wrote, following up with the laugh-cry emoji.
Motor1 has reached out to Garcia via TikTok direct message and email. We will be sure to update this if he responds.
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