Hyundai Tucson recall: SUV owners ‘paranoid’ as cars catch fire

Terrified Hyundai owners want answers after two cars are thought to have burst into flames amid a recall from the manufacturer.

Two Hyundai owners say their SUVs suddenly burst into flames despite the car manufacturer saying that none of their Tuscons in Australia – subject to a major recall over safety fears – have set alight.

Owners are voicing their concern on social media saying they are “paranoid and not happy” about the situation.

Last month, Hyundai Australia announced the recall of more than 93,000 Tucsons made between 2015 and 2020.

They said this was because of a defect in the model’s anti-lock braking system’s circuit board that could trigger a fire “even when the vehicle is turned off, as the circuit is constantly powered”.

Just a few days before the warning went out, a NSW couple’s Tuscon is suspected of igniting while switched off in their garage at 2am.

Richard and Judy Edwards managed to flee their burning home in the early hours of February 1, but the blaze took a devastating toll.

On a GoFundMe page set up for the elderly couple states that the fire sadly destroyed their home and wiped out all their possessions.

Richard and Judy Edwards lost nearly everything in a fire that started in the garage where their Hyundai Tucson was parked. Picture: GoFundMe

“They have pretty much lost everything in the fire, even their clothes. Unfortunately their contents insurance had expired,” the page reads.

Fire and Rescue NSW said that the fire “began in a garage where a Hyundai vehicle was parked” but it had been unable to determine the cause “due to the intensity of the fire and excessive damage”.

The couple’s lawyer Greg McBurney of McBurney Law told The Daily Telegraph

that an independent expert would soon examine the SUV, and that “the preliminary indications are that the fire did start in the vehicle … but we have to do our due diligence”.

Another Tucson owner, Zane Lewis-Hamilton from Melbourne, spoke to the Telegraph, saying his 2018 model caught fire when he tried to take his nephew to school but the vehicle wouldn’t shift from park to drive.

He believes the result could have been even more devastating had it happened while he was driving his nephew to school.

“I think people’s lives are at risk,” he said.

Melbourne man Zane Lewis-Hamilton fears the lives of Tucson-owning families are at risk. Picture: Facebook

Melbourne man Zane Lewis-Hamilton’s Hyundai Tucson was destroyed after catching alight. Picture: Supplied

On social media, Hyundai said to other worried customers as recently as Wednesday that “the recent recall is a precautionary measure only, with no actual reported cases in Australia”.

It came after owners expressed their concerns on the social media page.

“How about we get our Tucson’s fixed so we aren’t worrying about it catching fire, before showing off the new model?” one asked. “I love my Tucson but am a little paranoid and not happy.”

“Did two catch fire in Australia? When are the parts available to fix the fault? Meant to be end of February,” another added. “This is a disgrace. It was my first ever new car.”

A Hyundai spokesman said it couldn’t comment on either of the two reported cases because they were “under investigation”.

“We acknowledge the error made in the wording of the social media post” and it wouldn’t happen again, he said.

Originally published as Hyundai Tucson recall: SUV owners ‘paranoid’ as cars catch fire