NHTSA Complaint #11175791 — 2018 KIA SORENTO

OUR CAR HAS A THIRD ROW WITH TWO SEATS IN THE BACK AND WE PUT 2 PEOPLE ON EACH ROW. WE HAD A STEEL TRAILER HITCH CARGO CARRIER HANGING ON THE BACK OF THE CAR. WE HAVE USED THIS DEVICE MANY TIMES WITH OUR OTHER 2007 KIA SORENTO WITH NO PROBLEMS OF ANY KIND. WE HAD FOUR LARGE TUBS WITH LIDS AND EACH OF THE 4 KIDS WOULD GET A TUB TO HOLD THEIR SUITCASES. THESE TUBS WERE CONNECTED TO THE CARGO CARRIER WITH BUNGIE CORDS. WE HAD PLANNED TO SPEND THE NIGHT IN LAS VEGAS AND AFTER A 5-HOUR DRIVE, WE ARRIVED AT THE HOTEL & WE NOTICED THAT THE TUB ON THE BOTTOM STARBOARD SIDE HAD BEEN BURNED SIGNIFICANTLY. UPON FURTHER INVESTIGATION, WE LEARNED THAT THE EXHAUST PIPE WAS PART OF THE BUMPER SYSTEM AND THAT IT HAD HEATED THE ONE TUB AND THE CARGO CARRIER TO SUCH HIGH TEMPERATURES AS TO CAUSE A FIRE INSIDE THE TUB. IT HAD MELTED THE TUB TO THE CARGO CARRIER AND BURNED A BIG HOLE IN THE SIDE OF THE TUB. THE SUITCASE INSIDE THE TUB HAD A HUGE BLACK HOLE IN THE SIDE AND ALL OF ITS CONTENTS WERE BURNED OR SCORCHED. SINCE THE FIRE WAS NO LONGER BURNING, WE DECIDED TO NOT CALL THE LAS VEGAS FIRE DEPARTMENT AS THE THREAT WAS OVER. THE NEXT DAY, BEFORE WE LEFT LAS VEGAS, WE WENT TO HOME DEPOT AND FOUND SOME MATERIALS AND CRAFTED AN ALUMINUM SHIELD TO BLOCK THE EXHAUST FROM HITTING THE CARGO CARRIER. THEN WE WERE ABLE TO REACH OUR DESTINATION IN SEAL BEACH CA. WHEN WE TOOK THE CARGO CARRIER OFF THE CAR, WE SAW THAT SEVERAL OF THE BUNGIE CORDS HAD BEEN MELTED RIGHT TO THE CARGO CARRIER. THROUGH OUR ASSESSMENT, WE DETERMINED THAT THE DAMAGES DONE TO THE CARGO CARRIER, THE BUNGIE CORDS, THE TUB, THE SUITCASE AND ALL OF ITS (MOSTLY BRAND NEW) CONTENTS TO BE ABOUT $1547.15. THIS DID NOT COUNT THE COST TO BUILD A DEFLECTOR SO WE COULD CONTINUE OUR TRIP. IT IN NO WAY COUNTS THE DISCOMFORT AND TRAUMA MY FAMILY SUFFERED FROM THIS EVENT.