PHOENIX — Kia vehicle owners — check the mail! This week, according to Kia documents, the automaker will begin notifying more than 1.7 million vehicle owners of a new recall regarding used vehicles because they can catch fire while parked or driving due to issues with the antilock brake system.
Owners of impacted car models should park their vehicles outside and away from structures until repairs can be made, according to the recall announcement from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Dean Coats, a Valley resident, would have his 2012 Kia Sorrento included in that recall. But for him, the unexpected already happened.
"Everything burned," he said, recalling a devastating day in June.
Coats reached out to Let Joe Know after we shared Melissa's story. Her family's 2012 Kia Soul burst into flames after an engine fire earlier this year. Her husband was driving on the freeway with their kids in the backseat. Fortunately, no one was physically hurt but Dean says the situation is similar to his own.
Coats says he was pulling up to a nearby address to make a food delivery, but his vehicle could not stop.
"Brake pedal went right to the floor," he remembered, adding he was going slow and eventually able to coast to a stop. At that point, Coats says a Gilbert police officer happened to be nearby. He says the officer warned him to get out of the vehicle as it started smoking.
"Flames coming out from underneath the hood and the next thing you know it blows both tires, the front windshield, and it was completely on fire," said Coats.
The Gilbert Fire Department responded and put out the flames. Coats filed with his insurance and received a check for the vehicle's remaining value.
Kia performed their own, independent investigation. In an email, they state the fire started in the rear of the engine but label the cause as "undetermined."
Coats says he's received previous recall notices from Kia in the past years, some regarding his engine and a risk of fire, but has taken the vehicle in for repairs.
At the time of the vehicle fire for both Coats and Melissa, neither vehicle had an open or unrepaired recall.
"I would think Kia would have some responsibility here," Coats said.
The Center for Auto Safety, which advocated for the initial Kia recalls, also issued a consumer warning to used car buyers detailing the risk of engine failure and potential fire risk in certain Kias and Hyundais.
Michael Brooks, the executive director of the Center for Auto Safety, questions whether some of the recall fixes, like installing sensor software instead of replacing engines, fully address the safety hazard.
"They're not really addressing the underlying defect that's causing the problems here, which is, you know, a poor engine design," Brooks stated.
We asked Kia for a copy of the investigation into the cause of his vehicle fire and asked what steps Kia is taking to ensure recall solutions are adequately fixing any potential engine issue. We did not receive a statement or comment by deadline.
In an email to Coats, Kia suggested he submit a claim through their settlement website. Coats is also working with the Better Business Bureau which has a national program arbitrating with Kia regarding the Theta II engine - a focal point in recent recalls.
The Let Joe Know team previously asked Kia about Brooks' concern. The company responded in an email, sending us to a previous press release from Kia which details their class action litigation for drivers with certain engines.
Prior to Kia's class action litigation, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced an expanded investigation into the scope of Kia and Hyundai's recalls related to non-crash fire risk, as well as the efficacy of recall remedies.
Brooks says drivers deserve more transparency about the safety of their cars.
Check if your vehicle is under recall online, and you can learn more about Scripps News' investigation into non-crash fire risk in certain Kia vehicles here.
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