The Center for Auto Safety wants Hyundai and its subsidiary, Kia, to recall nearly 3 million cars and SUVs, because they can catch on fire while being driven. According to the non-profit auto safety group, there has been about one complaint each day for four months, of a Hyundai or Kia catching fire. And that is just since the group demanded an investigation into the problem.
Since 2010, there have been more than 220 complaints of fires and an additional 200 complaints of smoke and melted wires. At least one death has occurred. The fires are not caused by crashes, they happen during normal driving. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is investigating.
Affected Vehicles
The Center announced, on October 12, that it is demanding that Hyundai Motors America and Kia Motors America recall the following models for model years 2011-2014:
- Kia Sorento
- Kia Optima
- Hyundai Sonata
- Hyundai Santa Fe
And for the model years 2010-2015:
- Kia Soul
NHTSA Investigation
In 2017, the NHTSA opened an investigation into Hyundai and Kia engine failure. It has expanded that investigation to include the vehicle fires. At least 12 of the reported vehicle fires have occurred after the vehicles were repaired as part of a recall for problem with manufacturing debris in the engine which can cause engine failure. However, the Kia Soul and some of the Sorentos are not part of the investigation because they were not part of the engine failure recalls.
If you have been injured in a car fire, a defective vehicle may have been to blame. Please talk to an experienced defective vehicle attorney right away to learn more about your rights.
(Photo Credit: ray_explores, CC 2.0)
This recall needs to be extended to Canada where the same issues are occurring. I currently thousands of dollars out of pocket for an unexplained engine failure that put my sixteen year olds life in danger when it failed in the middle of a busy road.