Hyundai ix35: Urgent recall for popular family car amid fears it could catch FIRE

Manufacturers have issued an urgent recall notice for a popular Hyundai model after it was found to have a manufacturing defect that could cause a car fire.

All variants of the Hyundai ix35 2014 and 2015 models have been impacted by the fault, the car maker said.

The Department of Transport estimates 19,541 vehicles will have to be returned across Australia.

In the recent recall notice, the department warned the circuit board in the vehicles’ anti-lock braking system (ABS) module could short circuit if the components were exposed to moisture.

Hyundai has issued a recall for its Hyundai ix35 2014 and 2015 models (above) over fears a manufacturing defect could potentially cause the car to catch on fire

Earlier this year a mother-of-two’s Hyundai ix35 2014 caught fire in the garage of her Port Macquarie home (pictured, the remains of Ms Johnston’s car)

The short circuit could possibly trigger a vehicle fire even if the car was turned off.

The department noted the fault would not affect the functioning of the brake system.

‘A vehicle fire may increase the risk of serious injury or death to vehicle occupants, other road users and bystanders, and/or damage to property,’ the Department of Transport cautioned in the recall notice.

‘Affected vehicles should be parked in an open space and away from flammable materials and structures, i.e. not in a garage.’

Read Related Also: How Gisele Bündchen is supporting Tom Brady for Buccaneers opener after spat

‘If your vehicle displays an engine warning light, please stop driving and contact your local Hyundai dealer.’

Hyundai will contact the owners of affected vehicles to set up an appointment to have the ABS repaired, the notice said.

The Department of Transport estimates 19,541 vehicles will be affected by the Hyundai recall (pictured, a Hyundai storefront)

It is unknown whether any incident was responsible for the discovery of the defect and recall notice.

Hyundai Motor Company Australia was contacted for comment.

It comes just a few months after a mother of two was left ‘traumatised’ from a car fire.

Anne-Maree Johnston was eating lunch with her daughter when her 2014 Hyundai ix35 caught fire in her garage.

Ms Johnston was forced to fight back the flames with a garden hose while waiting for the fire fighter to arrive. She thought she’d lost her Port Macquarie home forever.

The distraught mother said she never received an apology from the manufacturer.

‘It’s not just about losing a vehicle and this is what Hyundai have to understand, losing a vehicle that was the easiest part. It was the trauma that comes along with it,’ she told News.com.au.

‘Where it scorched the frame was below my bed. My children would have also been trapped upstairs.’