Tow Hitch Recalls: Harness Fires, Hitches and Trailer Lights

Tow hitch recalls for passenger vehicles come in three kinds: wiring modules that may short circuit and start a fire, hitches whose bolts or welds may let go, and trailer lights or brakes that may stop working. News stories cover one recall at a time; this guide puts NHTSA’s whole towing file together, with each campaign’s vehicles, units and repair rate checked against the record, and what the records tell owners to do.

Tow hitch recalls in NHTSA’s file

NHTSA’s “trailer hitches” category covers recalls filed by trailer, RV and truck makers as well as by carmakers, so its totals mix very different products. We split it by what each recall covers:

Source: NHTSA recalls file, retrieved Oct 6, 2026. Recalls are grouped by whether they list a vehicle in PlainVIN’s catalog, then by keywords in NHTSA’s text; the split is our own. Eight more passenger-vehicle recalls list trailer hitches as a second component; most are covered below.

Passenger vehicles make up 87% of the category’s units, led by Hyundai’s 2023 Santa Fe and Santa Cruz recall (584,784), Ford’s 2000 Expedition and Navigator hitch bolt recall (565,800), Ford’s 2002 Windstar connector recall (417,037) and the 2000 Dodge Ram hitch bracket recall (357,000). The “repaired” share is vehicle-weighted and mostly reflects the Hyundai and Kia fire recalls, because many older recalls report no completion data.

The Hyundai and Kia tow hitch harness fire recalls

Hyundai and Kia have filed six recalls since August 2022 for the same kind of part: a tow hitch harness whose control module sits on a printed circuit board. Water or debris on that board may cause a short. NHTSA’s record for the first Palisade recall describes it this way:

“Debris and moisture accumulation on the tow hitch harness module printed circuit board (PCB) may cause an electrical short, which can result in a fire.”NHTSA recall record 22V633, Hyundai Palisade, nhtsa.gov

The subject line of five of the six records reads “Tow Hitch Harness Fire While Parked or Driving.” The sixth, for the Tucson, names failed trailer lights and a short circuit that “can increase the risk of a fire.”

Source: NHTSA recalls file and US DOT completion data, retrieved Oct 6, 2026; “repaired” is the automaker’s reported completion rate, and “not repaired” is units × (100% − repaired), computed by PlainVIN. The recalls cover different models, so the units do not overlap.

First, the harness may have been installed at the factory or bought as a dealer accessory, and three of the records (the Palisade, Santa Fe and Telluride recalls) cover vehicles “potentially equipped” with one. Their unit counts are every vehicle that could have one, and NHTSA’s file does not say how many actually do. Second, the remedies differ:

• Hyundai Palisade, Santa Fe and Santa Cruz (22V633, 23V181): a new fuse and wire extension kit as necessary; 23V181 is an expansion of 22V633.
• Kia Sorento and Sportage (22V703): inspection, then a new fuse and/or harness module as necessary.
• Kia Telluride and Carnival (22V626, 23V179): a new fuse and wiring extension; Telluride harnesses are also inspected and replaced as necessary, and Carnivals are first checked for a Genuine Kia accessory hitch.
• Hyundai Tucson (25V893): the record says the Mobis harness “may have been installed incorrectly, allowing water into the control module,” which may make the trailer lights fail or cause a short. Dealers remove the trailer wiring harness and fit a dust cap over the wiring receptacle. Owner letters were mailed May 11, 2026, so its 30% rate is still early.

Earlier Hyundai and Kia harness recalls (16V842, 16V862) were for trailer brake lights that may stay lit, and Kia’s 2025 Sportage recall (25V874) replaces a harness control module linked to an instrument panel screen that may go blank. Owner complaints follow the fire recalls: the 2022 and 2021 Palisade have more complaints naming the trailer hitch than any other model year in NHTSA’s file, and the 2020 Palisade is in the top five.

Source: NHTSA owner complaints file, retrieved Oct 6, 2026; computed by PlainVIN.

Do the records say to park outside?

Yes, for all six Hyundai and Kia harness recalls. Each is flagged by NHTSA as a park-outside recall, and each record’s remedy starts with the same instruction. The Kia Sorento and Sportage record reads:

“Owners are advised to park outside and away from structures until the recall repair is complete.”NHTSA recall record 22V703, Kia Sorento and Sportage, nhtsa.gov

Those six are among the 101 recalls in NHTSA’s file that carry the park-outside advice; our park outside recall list has the rest. None of the six is a “do not drive” recall: the records allow driving, but say the fire risk exists while parked or driving.

Older hitch wiring recalls also name fire, but their records don’t include the park-outside advice:

• Ford Windstar, 2000–2001 (02V072, 417,037): water, dirt and salt could enter through missing body sealer and short a rear connector, affecting rear lights, park aid or trailer tow wiring; a sustained short “can result in melted connectors and potentially lead to a fire.”
• Ford Transit, 2015–2017 (17V668, 65,206 vehicles; expanded in 18V275, 25,658): water can enter the trailer tow module and corrode the wiring, and the record says the resulting short “can increase the risk of a fire.”
• Mitsubishi Outlander and Endeavor, 2003–2004 (04V197, 2,175): a dealer-installed hitch wiring control module can overheat. Owners were asked to stop using the harness until a redesigned one was fitted.

For how often vehicle fires happen and what causes them, see our car fire statistics; for other wiring faults, our car electrical problems guide.

Hitches that may loosen or separate

The second group is hitches that may come loose because of bolts, fasteners, brackets or welds. A hitch that separates while towing takes the trailer with it, and two of these records told owners not to use the hitch until it was fixed.

Source: NHTSA recalls file and US DOT completion data, retrieved Oct 6, 2026; “–” means no completion figure was reported, which is common for older recalls. Smaller recalls include Mazda CX-50 (25V167), Subaru Outback (14V577) and Nissan Xterra (04V581).

The Mercedes record says “the trailer hitch must not be used for any purpose until it has been repaired,” and Nissan sent Xterra owners an interim letter advising them not to use the hitch. The 1998–1999 Dodge Ram also appears in the complaint data above, matching the 2000 bracket recall.

Trailer light and trailer brake recalls

The biggest towing recalls are not filed under trailer hitches. They are filed under electrical system or exterior lighting, for the modules that pass brake, turn and braking signals to the trailer:

Source: NHTSA recalls file and US DOT completion data, retrieved Oct 6, 2026. Several fail Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 108 (lamps). Smaller accessory-harness recalls include the 2007–2011 Honda Element (12V436) and 2017 Mazda CX-5 (17V744).

Ford’s 26V104 is the largest towing-related recall we found in the file, and its remedy is a software update for the integrated trailer module, done by a dealer or over the air. Ford’s 25V132 covers trucks “previously repaired incorrectly” under 22V193. For lamp recalls on the vehicle itself see our headlight and lighting recalls guide, and for the vehicle’s own brakes our brake recalls guide.

Trailers, hitch parts and the vehicle that tows them

A towing recall can sit in three places, each checked a different way:

• The tow vehicle. Factory and dealer-accessory hitches, harnesses and trailer modules are recalled against the vehicle’s VIN, like all the recalls above.
• The trailer. Trailers have their own VINs, and trailer, RV and truck makers file most of the category’s 305 recalls, such as a 2026 coupler that may separate (26V618, Aluminum Trailer Company).
• Hitch parts sold on their own. Receivers, ball mounts, locks and wiring kits bought separately are recalled as equipment, by brand and part number. They are not in the vehicle file this guide uses; search them by brand at nhtsa.gov.

Recent tow hitch recalls

Vehicle descriptions are NHTSA’s own summary wording; “repaired” is the share the manufacturer reports as fixed, and new campaigns start near zero. Source: NHTSA recalls file and US DOT completion data, retrieved Oct 6, 2026.

What to do if your hitch or trailer wiring is recalled

1. Check the VIN, even if you never ordered a hitch. The Hyundai and Kia recalls cover dealer-fitted accessory harnesses a used-car buyer may not know about. Use nhtsa.gov/recalls or our VIN decoder, and check the trailer’s VIN separately.
2. Follow the record’s interim advice: park outside and away from structures for the six Hyundai and Kia harness recalls, and don’t tow where a record says not to use the hitch.
3. Test the trailer lights and brakes with the trailer connected before each trip.
4. Check again after a repair: Ford’s 25V132 and Hyundai’s 23V181 expansion show that recalls can be reopened or widened.
5. Report a problem such as a melted connector or a hitch that has moved: see our guide to filing a complaint with NHTSA. Buying a used tow vehicle? Add the hitch and wiring to our used car inspection checklist.

Recall figures are PlainVIN’s analysis of NHTSA’s files and update when we refresh the data. “Reported repaired” is the automaker’s figure. This guide is general safety information, not mechanical or towing advice for a specific vehicle; always follow the recall notice and your owner’s manual.