Federal auto safety agency investigates Hyundai and Kia fires

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — About 3,000 consumers filed complaints with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration claiming their Hyundais and Kias burst into flames without even being in a wreck.

"All I could think about was it was going to blow up," Debi Morris told Action 9.

[U.S. opens probe into Kia, Hyundai engine fires]

About 100 people said they were injured, and one allegedly died in these fires.

Many, like the Center for Auto Safety, have been urging the NHTSA to investigate and now the federal agency is looking into the claims.

"We were pleased to see, finally, the federal government takes these Kia and Hyundai fires seriously, but we’re also concerned that investigations don’t fix cars,” CAS' Jason Levine told Action 9. “Recalls and repairs fix cars, so we do want to see the investigation move quickly.”

"What if there's a kid in the backseat and they can't get the kid out? What's going to happen? That kid's going to die," Morris said. "They need to do something now."

NHTSA's probe involves nearly 3 million vehicles:

• 2011-2014 Hyundai Sonata and Santa Fe
• 2011-2014 Kia Optima and Sorento
• 2010-2015 Kia Soul

Hyundai emailed Action 9 this statement:

"Hyundai is fully cooperating with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)'s inquiries into non-collision fires with certain Hyundai vehicles and our previous engine recalls of 2011-2014 Sonatas and 2013-2014 Santa Fe Sports. We value our continued cooperative relationship with NHTSA and have engaged in frequent, open and transparent dialogue regarding non-collision engine fires and have provided the agency with comprehensive data on the issue.

"Nothing is more important than the safety and security of Hyundai customers. Hyundai has taken proactive actions to address engine issues with our vehicles. In close coordination with NHTSA, Hyundai in 2015 and 2017 recalled (NHTSA 15V-568 and 17V-226) more than one million 2011-2014 Sonatas and 2013-2014 Santa Fe Sports to address a manufacturing issue that could lead to bearing wear and engine failure, and in limited cases an engine fire.

"Subsequently, Hyundai in January 2019 issued a follow-on recall to inspect the fuel tube installations of replaced engines (NHTSA 18V-934). We introduced an engine software update to more than 2 million vehicles and extended the warranty for those models. We also recalled approximately 120,000 2011-2013 Hyundai Tucson vehicles (NHTSA 19V-063) to address a potential engine oil leak. More details on these actions can be found at www.HyundaiEngineInfo.com.

"Hyundai is closely and continuously monitoring the field performance of our engines, has made numerous improvements to our engine manufacturing, and has enhanced our customer service efforts to address every single impacted customer.

"While Hyundai recognizes and has made substantial efforts to address engine issues in certain vehicles, it's important to note that noncrash fires have been on the rise since 2011 across the automotive industry, according to the Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI). On average, the National Fire Protection Association reports more than 160,000 vehicle fires per year and collisions are responsible for only 4 percent of them. Hyundai vehicles account for a very small portion of these fires. HLDI's noncrash fire loss report from September 2018 shows that the relative claim frequency for noncrash fires in all 2015-2017 Hyundai vehicles is at the industry average.

"Between the two-year period from November 1, 2016 to November 1, 2018, Hyundai was notified and completed fire-related inspections on 428 vehicles from among our currently estimated 8.7 million vehicles on the road today. Of note, these inspections included all types of vehicle fires, not solely engine fires. So over the past two years, Hyundai was notified that 0.0049 percent of all Hyundai vehicles on the road experienced a noncrash fire. Meaning, for every 1 million Hyundai vehicles on the road, 49 experienced a noncrash fire over the past two years.

"We are committed to providing American motorists with safe, high quality, efficient and affordable vehicles."

Kia emailed Action 9 this statement:

"The safety of our customers is one of our highest priorities. Kia has and will continue to work with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in achieving our mutual goal of protecting U.S. vehicle passengers. Kia openly shares information and data with NHTSA on all matters pertaining to vehicle safety, including this preliminary evaluation, and will continue to work with the Agency in a full and transparent manner.

"Owners are encouraged to contact Kia Consumer Affairs at 800-333-4542 with any questions or concerns related to this matter."

Cox Media Group