Recently, a family from Powhatan, Virginia had the scare of a lifetime. Their son called them while he was driving the family’s Kia Soul and said that he heard a noise and saw smoke. His dad advised him to pull over, which he did immediately. It was a good thing he did, because the whole vehicle quickly went up in flames.
While vehicle fires aren’t uncommon, the Belcher family still wanted to report it. When they did, they learned something shocking – The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NTSA) has had over 400 fire complaints involving Kia and Hyundai models.
That alarming news has left them with serious questions, and they aren’t alone.
Spontaneous Fires
The US Department of Transportation has said that it has reports of hundreds of fires involving multiple Kia models and federal safety investigators have begun to look into Kia and its parent company, Hyundai.
Many of these incidents have been caught on camera. They can be harrowing experiences because they are so unexpected. Often, a driver is unaware that the vehicle is on fire and has to be told by other motorists on the roadway. Some people barely make it out before their entire vehicle is engulfed in flames.
You probably think that there is a recall on all of the vehicles experiencing the problems. It is true that there are over one million Kia and Hyundai vehicles under recall for engine failure, but not all models are covered. That means that many Kia and Hyundai vehicle owners are unaware of the potential danger they are in every time they get on the road.
What is worse is that the NHTSA has not ordered a recall for fire danger in any of these vehicles, despite the clear and compounding problem.
Liability Issues
The Kia vehicle fire story has gained national attention, but many other vehicle problems go unreported. The truth is that accidents happen. Sometimes, though, those accidents are caused by negligence on the part of manufacturers or company owners. Whether it is a design flaw or a faulty third-party piece of equipment, if a company learns of an issue, they have a duty to report it to the people who purchase their goods. If they don’t, they could be liable for damages or injuries.
If you or a loved one have been injured because of the failure of a product, and you believe the company’s negligence contributed to the injury, you may need a product liability attorney in Los Angeles. Compass Law Group is ready to help you figure out what went wrong, who is liable, and how to get the compensation you deserve. We understand that any injury can cause you to miss work while bills pile up. We don’t think it’s fair that the livelihood of you and your family should be on the line because of someone else’s mistake.
