While a majority of car fires generally have a number of causes – human, chemical, and design flaws, there are some things that can increase the chances of a car catching fire. Design flaws can especially make conditions ripe for a vehicle catching fire. Such flaws can even give rise to situations where a vehicle fire is inevitable. Typically, once such a design flaw becomes apparent, the manufacturers begin issuing recalls to get the dangerous cars off of the road. Keep in mind that every vehicle manufacturer has had to recall a model due to potential fire hazards.
Motor 1 reports on lawsuits that have been filed against Hyundai and Kia for engine fires.
Auto manufacturers Hyundai and Kia are facing several complainants that have filed a class-action lawsuit alleging that a design flaw has led to some of its car engines spontaneously catching fire.
The 41-page lawsuit alleges that the models have design flaws that lead to non-collision fires starting. The fires are caused by lack of lubrication, which causes friction within the moving parts of the engine, sparking the fires. This restriction of oil flow to the moving parts causes the engine to seize while running, causing the connecting rods to break and perforate the engines, causing fluid leakage, which sparks a fire.
The lawsuit also alleged that some 350 complaints of the fire risk had been submitted to the NHTSA.
The affected models are:
- 2011-2019 Hyundai Sonata
- 2011-2019 Kia Optima
- 2011-2019 Kia Sportage
- 2012-2019 Kia Sorento
- 2012-2019 Kia Soul
- 2013-2019 Hyundai Santa Fe and Santa Fe Sport
The lawsuit also said that Congress has asked the automakers to appear and answer the allegations that they were aware of the risks and did not issue a recall, but they had not yet made their appearance before Congress.
Have you experienced a fire in a Kia or Hyundai vehicle listed above? We can help. Call today.