NHTSA Complaint #11306205 — 2015 HYUNDAI SONATA

2015 HYUNDAI SONATA SE CAUGHT ON FIRE AFTER BEING PARKED IN APARTMENT BUILDING PARKING LOT ON 1/12/20. CAR WAS SERVICED AT CERTIFIED HYUNDAI DEALERSHIP REPAIR SHOP ON 1/10/20 FOR RECALL WORK AND TO INVESTIGATE OIL PRESSURE LIGHT THAT WOULD COME ON AND OFF INTERMITTENTLY. REPAIR SHOP CLAIMED THERE WAS AN OIL LEAK AND RECOMMENDED AN OIL CHANGE/VALVE COVER GASKET REPLACEMENT (LAST OIL CHANGE JUST UNDER 5000 MILES PRIOR). CAR BEGAN SMELLING AS IF SOMETHING WAS BURNING LATER AFTER LEAVING REPAIR SHOP, AS WELL AS THE NEXT DAY, SO SHOP WAS CALLED BACK ON 1/11/20 AND MESSAGE WAS LEFT THAT IT NEEDED TO BE BROUGHT BACK IN ON MONDAY MORNING (1/13/20). OIL PRESSURE LIGHT DID NOT COME BACK ON, HOWEVER, NOR DID ANY OTHER WARNING LIGHTS. CAR WAS DRIVEN SPARINGLY IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD PRIMARILY FOR WORK PURPOSES OVER THE WEEKEND AND PARKED AFTER APPROX. 12 MINUTE COMMUTE HOME FROM WORK ON SUNDAY EVENING (1/12/20). I RETURNED A LITTLE OVER AN HOUR LATER TO DISCOVER THE SITUATION AND LEARNED THAT THE FIRE DEPT. HAD ALREADY COME AND GONE. IMMEDIATELY CALLED POLICE/FIRE DEPT. TO FIND OUT WHAT HAD HAPPENED AND WAS INFORMED THAT NEIGHBORS HAD CALLED THE POLICE DUE TO SEEING IT ON FIRE ABOUT 10-15 MINUTES AFTER I HAD PARKED THE CAR. I AM UNCLEAR OF THE EXACT NATURE OF THE PROBLEM, THOUGH OIL APPEARS TO HAVE BEEN LEAKING (AND BURNING - SOME LIGHT SMOKE WAS VISIBLE UNDER HOOD ON 1/11 & 1/12) AFTER REPAIRS, AND FIRE IS SAID TO HAVE STARTED IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. INSURANCE COMPANY WAS IMMEDIATELY NOTIFIED AS WELL AND DEEMED THE VEHICLE A TOTAL LOSS AND TOWED IT AWAY FOR FURTHER INVESTIGATION AS TO CAUSE OF FIRE ON 1/14/20. DEALERSHIP WHERE CAR WAS SERVICED 2 DAYS PRIOR IS OF CONCERN SINCE CAR APPEARED IN WORSE CONDITION AFTER REPAIRS THAN BEFORE, BUT I AM UNCERTAIN OF THEIR LIABILITY IN THIS CASE.