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Kia trailer hitch recalls involving wiring fires and screen failure
⚠ 3 carry a park-outside (fire risk) advisory.
Kia's trailer-hitch notices primarily concern harness-module electrical shorts and fire risks. Certain 2020-2022 Telluride vehicles and certain 2016-2022 Sorento, 2021-2022 Sorento Hybrid, 2022-2023 Sorento Plug-In Hybrid and 2017-2022 Sportage vehicles have notices describing debris and moisture accumulation on the module circuit board. The 2022-2023 Carnival notice instead identifies water accumulation. These three notices describe fires while parked or driving and direct owners to park outside. Sportage appears again in a different problem: certain 2023-2025 Sportage PHEV and 2024-2025 Sportage vehicles with a 4.2-inch screen and Genuine Kia tow hitch harness accessory may lose instrument-panel information because of a software error.
Warning signs to watch for
- Sportage SC359: The instrument panel screen may fail to display the speedometer or warning lights.
Can you keep driving? What the notices say
Three recalls carry park-outside instructions: the August 15, 2022 Telluride tow-hitch wiring recall; the September 19, 2022 Sorento and Sportage tow-hitch recall; and the March 17, 2023 Carnival tow-hitch wiring recall. Each tells owners to park outside and away from structures until its repair is complete. These notices describe fire risks while parked or driving, but do not instruct owners to stop driving. The Sportage instrument-panel recall, SC359, does not tell owners to stop driving or park outside.
What the free repair involves
Telluride dealers install a fuse and harness extension, inspecting and replacing the harness as necessary, free. Sorento/Sportage dealers inspect and replace the fuse and/or module as necessary, free. Carnival dealers verify accessory fitment and, if equipped, install a fuse and wire extension kit; the supplied excerpt does not state a charge. SC359 replaces the control module free.
Severity at a glance
| Severity | Recalls |
|---|---|
| critical | 3 |
| high | 1 |
Models affected most
Every recall in this group
| Date | Recall | Severity |
|---|---|---|
| Dec 17, 2025 | Kia Sportage Instrument Panel Screen May Fail | high |
| Mar 17, 2023 | Kia Carnival Tow Hitch Wiring Fire Risk · park outside | critical |
| Sep 19, 2022 | Kia Sorento and Sportage Tow Hitch Fire Risk · park outside | critical |
| Aug 15, 2022 | Kia Telluride Tow Hitch Wiring Fire Risk · park outside | critical |
Common questions
Which Kia tow-hitch recalls require parking outside?
The August 2022 Telluride, September 2022 Sorento/Sportage and March 2023 Carnival notices each instruct owners to park outside and away from structures until the recall repair is complete. Each describes a fire risk while the vehicle is parked or driving.
Does the Sportage screen recall involve the same stated problem as the fire notices?
SC359 identifies a software error that may cause instrument-panel screen failure in specified Sportage vehicles equipped with a 4.2-inch screen and Genuine Kia tow hitch harness accessory. The fire notices identify electrical shorts associated with accumulation on harness-module circuit boards.
What does the Carnival tow-hitch notice say dealers will install?
The supplied Carnival notice says dealers inspect and verify whether a Genuine Kia accessory trailer tow hitch assembly is fitted. If equipped, they install a new fuse and wire extension kit. The supplied remedy excerpt ends before stating whether repairs are free.
A recall applies only to specific vehicles. Check your 17-character VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.