Nearly half a million owners of Kia Telluride crossovers in the United States have been instructed to park their vehicles outdoors and away from structures, after US safety regulators expanded a recall over a fire risk that persists even when the engine is off. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said the front power seat motor can overheat if the slide knob becomes stuck or if a previous repair was performed incorrectly, potentially causing a fire whether the vehicle is parked or in motion. Kia is aware of seven seat fires and eleven instances of seat motors melting, according to the agency. The recall covers approximately 463,000 Tellurides from model years 2020 through 2024, many of which were already recalled for the same defect in 2024. Dealers will install an electronic fuse assembly to prevent the motor from running continuously, with owner notifications expected to begin on 13 August.

Separately, Nissan announced two smaller recall campaigns affecting about 1,000 vehicles in the US. The larger of the two involves 946 Sentra sedans from the 2025 model year, where the left front drive shaft may not be fully seated in the continuously variable transmission. According to filings with NHTSA, the incomplete insertion can lead to a loss of drive power, transmission fluid leaks, and a risk that the car could move even with the parking brake engaged. The problem was traced to a supplier’s production equipment that created an oversized bearing face, compromising the seal. A second campaign covers 42 transmission units in Rogue crossovers from model years 2022 to 2026, many of them remanufactured. A hardware fault in the control valve lock switch can prevent the gear indicator from displaying on the dashboard, violating federal safety standards, and may cause the transmission to remain in neutral without the driver’s knowledge.

In a third action, the US arm of Honda has launched a recall of 325,588 Odyssey minivans, Russian media reported, though the specific defect was not immediately detailed. The series of recalls highlights the heightened scrutiny of vehicle electronics and mechanical assemblies by American safety regulators. All three automakers have said they will notify affected owners and perform repairs free of charge.