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Fire Issues Heat Up For Kia and Hyundai

Feb 1, 2019

Are cars ever recalled twice?

If you think certain Hyundai and Kia vehicles are “hot”, you are in good company. For example, those in agreement would include researchers at the Highway Loss Data Institute “HLDI”, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety “IIHS” and the Center for Auto Safety “CAS”, to name a few. Of course, many of those vehicles’ owners also thought the cars were “hot” when they decided to buy them. But their attraction likely cooled once some of the vehicles reportedly caught fire—without being involved in a crash and an auto recall was issued.

Hyundai and Kia defects attorneys have been following with interest the “investigations, lawsuits, and recalls” over the past few years impacting 2011-2014 Hyundai Sonatas, 2013-2014 Hyundai Santa Fe Sports, 2011-2014 Kia Optimas, 2012-2014 Kia Sorrentos, and 2011-2013 Kia Sportages.

The impacted vehicles reportedly were found to have “significantly higher rates of non-crash fires” than other cars in their class. While the 2-liter turbo engines reportedly had the highest rate of fires, researchers found “the fire risk went up dramatically as the vehicles got older” regardless of engine type. In addition, other studies showed “more fires occur in turbocharged and supercharged engines compared to non-turbo engines”.

Many will remember the 1.7 million cars the pair of automakers had to recall in 2015 for engine replacements. Well, the timing of this recent research is unfortunate as both Hyundai and Kia “just ordered recalls of previously recalled vehicles because the fuel lines may have been damaged when the engines were replaced”.

It can be particularly frustrating dealing with a car subject to one—or more—auto recalls. Also frustrating is finding out your new or relatively-new vehicle is a lemon that’s always in the shop for the same stubborn, unresolved repair.

If you live in New Jersey or Pennsylvania and think you are driving a lemon or have questions about an auto recall or a breach of warranty claim, Timothy Abeel & Associates can help you. Depending on the nature of your problem you can get a full refund of your down payment, trade-in, monthly payments and taxes, or a brand-new car or a cash settlement. Contact us today for a free consultation.

Experiencing Similar Issues?

If your car was manufactured between 2019 and 2024 we may be able to help. Contact us for more information.