Cronauer law is representing those affected
If you have been injured as a result of your car catching on fire, get in touch with the lawyers at Cronauer Law. Cars should be made to not randomly catch on fire, and especially should not ever injure the people and drivers of these vehicles. We are helping people like you to get compensated for your injuries.
A recall of of over 500,000 on the road containing turbocharged engines in both Kia and Hyundai was released in 2018. The Highway Loss Data Institute conducted a study on those vehicles and found that even though all of the vehicles carry a risk of catching on fire, the vehicles with turbo chargers are more likely to catch on fire and cause higher property damages.
Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s Loss Institute reports that
“A high number of complaints about certain Hyundai and Kia models bursting into flames has prompted a recall campaign to fix faulty repairs that the affiliated companies say were carried out during previous recalls of 2011-14 Hyundai Sonatas, 2013-14 Hyundai Santa Fe Sports, 2011-14 Kia Optimas, 2012-14 Kia Sorentos and 2011-13 Kia Sportages.
Analysis by HLDI suggests that the companies are correctly targeting vehicles with small and/or turbocharged engines, though it’s unclear whether their proposed remedy will eliminate the additional risk of fire that these models carry. HLDI research also points to an increased risk of fire for turbocharged engines generally, across brands.
Study of Hyundai/Kia fires points to their small and turbocharged engines
Over 3,000 fire claims filed | 103 Reported Injuries
The U.S. government’s highway safety agency has decided to open two investigations into fires involving Hyundai and Kia vehicles after getting complaints of more than 3,100 fires and 103 injuries.
In California — home to North American headquarters for both Kia and Hyundai — 28 fires and those two injuries have been reported. The Kia Soul has been linked to one death in Ohio in 2017.
“Car fires can be deadly or cause serious injuries. Even in circumstances where luck provides victims a path to safety, car fires cause significant property damage, often leaving consumers owing money for a vehicle which has literally been burned to a crisp,” said Jason Levine, executive director of the Center on Auto Safety in the letter
“Instead of presenting the public a solution for these fires, or a satisfactory explanation, or simply taking responsibility for continuing to sell what appear to be defective engines, both manufacturers have recalled fewer than 10 percent of the potential fire-prone vehicles and hoped no one would ask about the rest,” he wrote.
Petition to Congress to start a formal investigation
Petition Granted in March 2019
Defense’s Response
Kia and Hyundai share a corporate parent, and their cars often share parts and engineering.
Kia
“To gain a full understanding of this industry-wide concern, last November we respectfully requested the Senate Commerce Committee consider a more comprehensive review of non-collision fires among all automakers,”
Kia’s statement echoed Hyundai’s, calling the center irresponsible, stressing earlier recalls and its cooperation with government probes.
Kia always encourages customers to remedy open recalls as quickly as possible. More information is at www.kia.com/us/en/content/owners/safety-recall, at www.safercar.gov, or via Kia Consumer Affairs at 800-333-4542.
Hyundai
“Nothing is more important than the safety and security of Hyundai customers, and we find it irresponsible that the Center for Auto Safety has chosen to ignore the facts,”
said an emailed statement from Hyundai.
The company recalled cars in 2015, 2017 and twice so far this year in an effort to remedy problems, the statement said. It launched an online resource for consumers at www.HyundaiEngineInfo.com and developed a new engine-monitoring technology that can flag the precursors to engine failure.
Also, as part of its product improvement campaign, Hyundai extended the warranty to 10 years and 120,000 miles (up from 100,000 miles) for original and subsequent owners of 2011-2018 Sonatas, 2013-2018 Santa Fe Sports and 2014-2015 and 2018 Tucsons for engine repairs needed because of excessive connecting rod bearing damage. There also is a special customer service line for noncollision fires at 855-671-3059.
Over 6 Million cars on the road are part of Safety Recalls
Current recalls include
- 379,000 Kia Souls (model years 2012-2016)
- 155,000 Hyundai Tucson (2011-2013)
- 32,296 Kia Sportage (2011-2012)
- 94,389 Kia Sedona (2015-18)
You can check if your car is part of any of these recalls on the manufacturers recall sites:
Any and all vehicle fires should be reported here
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