'Flash and melt': experts demand the recall of 3 million Hyundai and Kia cars in the USA

A nonprofit automotive safety expert group is demanding that Hyundai and Kia withdraw 2,9 million cars and SUVs in the US due to consumer complaints that cars suddenly light up, they melt wires, smell like smoke or burning. One person died as a result of such a fire.

On Friday, Center For Auto Safety said that since 2010, the US government has received more 220 complaints about fires and 200 complaints about molten wires, as well as smells of smoke and burning in these machines, writes ABC7NY. Complaints include Kia Sorento and Optima, Hyundai Sonata and Santa Fe 2011-2014, and Kia Soul from 2010 to 2015.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration investigates fires as part of 2017 inspections of the year related to Hyundai and Kia engine failures.

“The scale of the fires shows that Hyundai and Kia are failing to act, leaving consumers and insurers with a heavy burden of poorly designed, manufactured and repaired vehicles,” said Jason Levine, the center's executive director. Fire reports come from all over the country, including a fatality in Ohio in April 2017, he said.

Hyundai officials say the company is monitoring safety issues and responding quickly to vehicle malfunctions. “We have a robust system in place to monitor and investigate reports of vehicle fires, which includes reporting to NHTSA as appropriate,” the company said in a statement.

Фото: Depositphotos

According to Kia, the company uses third-party expertise to determine what caused the fires and take action.

“A fire in a vehicle can be the result of any number of complex factors, such as a manufacturing problem, inadequate maintenance, installation of replacement parts, improper repairs, arson, or some other source unrelated to the vehicle itself. This needs to be carefully assessed by a qualified expert,” the company said in a statement.

In June, the Auto Safety Center filed a petition asking NHTSA to investigate cases of fire apart from engine failures. On Friday, the agency reported that it was reviewing the document and requested information from automakers.

In May 2017, the government launched an investigation into a situation in which Hyundai and Kia very quickly recalled more than 1,6 million vehicles due to engine shutdowns. NHTSA is studying three large-scale recalls of cars of related Korean brands, and is also looking into whether automakers comply with safety requirements.

Hyundai recalled 470 of thousands of vehicles in September of 2015, as manufacturing errors could limit the oil flow to the bearings, which could lead to the wear of these parts and the costly replacement of the entire engine block. In March last year, automakers made two more large product recalls covering 1,2 million cars with the same problem.

If NHTSA finds that companies have reacted too slowly before they start recalling cars, they may be penalized or they may demand an additional shipment of goods. The agency reported that fires seem to be related to engine failures.

39-year-old Melissa Markutsis from Kenosha, Wis., Said her Kia Soul 2012 engine of the year had exploded and shut down on the 94 highway south of Milwaukee 14 in May, spewing thick black smoke. The woman panicked. According to her, nothing could be seen through the smoke. She was able to safely leave the track and call for help. Her car was taken to a Kia dealer, where she was told that replacing the engine would cost 6 500 dollars. In the previous batch of withdrawn goods, this model of the machine was not included.

Фото: Depositphotos

The woman refused to pay and filed a complaint against Kia, which provided her with a car while the complaint was investigated. There has been no news from the company since October 4, Markoutsis says. She also asked NHTSA to have the Soul recalled and found several other instances of similar problems on social media. “Someone is going to die,” the woman wrote.

Levine said that the center found more than a dozen complaints about fires in cars that had already been repaired as part of the recall of problem models, this suggests that a fire may not be related to the engine problem.

In documents released last year, NHTSA said a limited number of Hyundai vehicles were recalled in 2015 for vehicles manufactured before April 12, 2012. The company stated that after this date it resolved the production issue.

Kia representatives reported that during the recall of goods in 2015, it did not seize the 2,4-liter and 2-liter Theta II engines of the same design as in Hyundai, since they did not have the same problem. After 18 months, both companies released a statement about new model reviews for the same reason.

Last year's review covers some of the most popular automaker models in the United States and Canada, including the Hyundai Santa Fe Sport 2013 and 2014 SUVs and Sonata mid-range cars, as well as the Kia Optima 2011 to 2014 model year, the KNI XXUMX 2011 SUV year and Kia Sorento SUVs with 2013 to 2012 year of manufacture.

Kia is a smaller subsidiary of Hyundai. Together they are the fifth largest car manufacturer in the world.

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