By Jennifer Dudley-Nicholson in Brisbane

More than 100,000 Kia vehicles are being urgently recalled in Australia after the discovery of a fault that may cause the cars to catch fire when switched off and parked. 

The risk is so severe, vehicle owners have been warned to park their cars away from “flammable structures” or enclosed areas such as garages until the faults are fixed.

The recalls, issued by the federal transport department on Thursday, cover more than 104,000 vehicles released in Australia between 2009 and 2018, including popular Sportage and Rio models.

The brand’s compact Kia Rio vehicle was hardest hit in the recall, with more than 40,000 models affected in Australia.

The Transport Department said a defect had been identified in the vehicles’ hydraulic electronic control unit that could short circuit if exposed to water.

The component, used by the vehicle’ anti-locking braking, stability control and traction control systems, could spark a fire in the engine.

“If an electrical short circuit occurs, this could result in an engine compartment fire when the key is switched off and the vehicle is parked,” the recall said.

“Until it has been repaired, Kia recommends that the vehicle should not be parked near any flammable structures or in an enclosed area.”

Kia vehicles affected by the recalls include some models of the Soul, Sorento, Cerato, Sportage, Optima, Rio, Carens and Rondo.

Owners are urged to check their vehicle’s recall status on the brand’s website.

Kia Australia corporate communications manager Alyson MacDonald said the company would contact vehicle owners by mail to notify them of the recall and repairs should take 30 minutes.

“There have been no instances of the fault occurring in Kia vehicles in Australia that we are aware of,” she said.

The safety warnings follow similar recalls for other Kia models in 2023, 2021 and 2017, when a fault was detected in the same part used in some Sportage vehicles.

Kia also recalled vehicles with the faulty hydraulic electronic control unit in the US in September 2023 after reports of one engine fire, three unit fires, and six incidents in which components melted, according to National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration.