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2023 HYUNDAI SANTA CRUZ — ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

fire · 2078664 · 2025-03-30

Vehicle

Make
HYUNDAI
Model
SANTA CRUZ
Year
2023
Manufacturer
Hyundai Motor America
Component
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Severity

Deaths
0
Injured
0
Fire
Yes
Crash
No
Police report
Yes
Medical attention
No
Vehicle towed
No

Narrative

The system that failed was electrical near or in the Tow Hitch which caused the vehicle fire. Vehicle is available for inspection at Auto Body Evolution Essex MD. The car caught fire in the back of the vehicle while parked in Owner's driveway and engine off. Neighbor pounded on Owner's door at 6:50 am. yelling for the residents to open the door that their vehicle was on fire in their driveway. Fire was dangerously close to the gas cap; parked vehicle was close to the owner's house, two boats in the driveway, and neighbor's house. After the incident, owner googled for any issues with Santa Cruz's. It was then and only then we learned that this vehicle had a fire recall on the Tow Hitch. We NEVER received a recall notice. In fact, we had this vehicle at the dealership approximately 6 weeks ago for another recall issue, thermostat, and the dealership NEVER checked for any additional recalls. Police and Fire Department were called to the scene by using 911. Officer Irwin who arrived on scene, Badge #6560, Police Report #[XXX], had to use his bully stick to bust the window to use a fire extinguisher before the fire department arrived. The car would not unlock and the windows would not operate. If we had been in the vehicle when the fire erupted or any other passengers in the vehicle, we would not have been able to get out of the car due to the electrical fire effecting the operation of the window and doors if the doors were locked. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE

Source

Authoritative
NHTSA ODI Flat-File Downloads
ODI Number
11651645
Machine
JSON-LD · Markdown