US safety agency opens probes into Hyundai and Kia fires

The United States government’s highway safety agency has decided to open two new investigations into fires involving Hyundai and Kia vehicles after getting complaints of more than 3,100 fires and 103 injuries.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, NHTSA, said Monday that it granted a petition filed last June seeking the investigations by the non-profit Center for Auto Safety, a consumer advocacy group.

The investigations, one for Hyundai and the other for Kia, cover non-crash fires in almost three million vehicles from the affiliated Korean automakers. The probes cover the 2011 through 2014 Hyundai Sonata and Santa Fe, the 2011 through 2014 Kia Optima and Sorento, and the 2010 through 2015 Kia Soul. The complaints came from consumers and from data provided by both automakers.

One death was reported involving a Kia vehicle, according to the documents.

NHTSA had previously said it would incorporate the non-crash fires into a 2017 investigation that examined recalls of Hyundai and Kia vehicles for engine failures. It opened the new probes “based on the agency’s analysis of information received from multiple manufacturers, consumer complaints and other sources”.

Messages were left Monday seeking comment from Hyundai, Kia and the safety agency.

The centre contended that there are more non-crash fires in the Hyundai and Kia cars and SUVs than in similar vehicles made by other automakers.

In documents detailing the investigations, NHTSA reported that it had received complaints of engine compartment fires, as well as fires involving other components, including tail light housings, wiring harnesses, and light bulbs. Agency investigators sent information requests to both automakers in September and October of last year, according to the documents.

The investigation will look into how often fires happen, how many vehicles are affected and the safety-related consequences, the documents said.

Engine failure and fire problems with Hyundais and Kias have affected more than six million vehicles since 2015, according to NHTSA documents. So far, Hyundai and Kia have recalled about 2.4 million vehicles to fix problems that can cause fires and engine failures.

In addition, the automakers are doing a “product improvement campaign”, covering another 3.7 million vehicles, to install software that will alert drivers of possible engine failures and send the cars into a reduced-speed ‘limp’ mode if problems are detected.

AP