While Hyundai has been known in recent years for its advancements in overall build quality and reliability, some of the older models are not without their faults. Over 270,000 Hyundai models that were made in 2011 and 2012 are involved in a recent recall. The announcement for the recall stems from a potential fire risk associated with a 12-volt outlet that’s prone to overheating. A few different Hyundai models are included.

Which Hyundai models are involved in the recall?

The South Korean automaker is currently recalling the Accent, Elantra, Sonata Hybrid, and Veloster models from the 2011 and 2012 model years. Those models are being recalled specifically due to their use of a tire inflator kit as opposed to a traditional spare tire. The tire inflator kits utilize a tire sealant and a portable air compressor to temporarily seal punctured tires with minor tread damage.

What is the recall regarding?

According to Consumer Reports, the recall is regarding 12-volt power outlet, which was once commonly used as a cigarette lighter outlet. Some of the outlets were not installed correctly and were over-torqued, which means that the thermal fuse that normally safeguards against overheating could be disabled. In this case, it could cause the outlet to overheat when the portable air compressor is plugged into the 12-volt outlet, which could ultimately lead to a fire.

Nine fires have been reported so far, and seven of them were due to the compressors that came with the car while the other two reported were from aftermarket compressors, according to the Associated Press.

What is Hyundai going to do about it?

Hyundai is still currently working on a repair. However, owners will be contacted in late August concerning the recall. If you would like to see if your particular model is affected by this recall, you can visit the Hyundai safety recall website and plug in your 17-digit VIN to find out.

In the meantime, if you own one of the following Hyundai models, make sure not to use your spare tire inflator kit:

• 2012 Hyundai Accent
• 2011-2012 Hyundai Elantra
• 2011-2012 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid
• 2012 Hyundai Veloster

When a remedy is found, Hyundai dealers will perform the fix at no cost to the owners.

Do the newer Hyundai models come with a tire inflator kit?

While this recall issue only refers to older Hyundai models from those certain years, just note that newer Hyundai models also utilize a tire inflator kit. For example, the 2020 Elantra does not come with a spare tire, however, owners and prospective buyers can order one separately as an accessory in case they would rather not deal with the inflator kit.

While inflator kits can help when needing to get your car off the road in the event of a flat tire, the sealants used in them are only able to cover up small holes on the tire tread as opposed to bigger ones or sidewall holes. In this case, it might better to go with a traditional spare tire setup.