NHTSA Complaint #11397417 — 2013 KIA OPTIMA

ON FEBRUARY 19, 2021 AT AROUND 12:50 A.M., A FRIEND AND I WERE DRIVING HOME IN MY 2013 KIA OPTIMA HYBRID EX ON A CITY STREET AND WE WERE A LITTLE MORE THAN HALF-WAY HOME WHEN THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ON CAME ON. I STARTED LOOKING FOR AN OPEN GAS STATION SO I COULD STOP AND CHECK IF THERE WAS ANYTHING VISIBLY WRONG WITH MY CAR. BEFORE I COULD REACH A GAS STATION, I HEARD A TICKING NOISE IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT AND UPON LOOKING IN THE REARVIEW MIRROR I SAW SMOKE BILLOWING OUT OF THE BACK OF THE CAR AND SAW AND SMELLED SMOKE INSIDE THE CABIN ALSO. I IMMEDIATELY PULLED OVER AND SHUT THE CAR OFF. THE CAR THEN COMPLETELY FILLED WITH SMOKE, SO MY FRIEND AND I GOT OUT OF THE CAR QUICKLY. THE ENGINE AREA BURST INTO FLAMES. I CALLED 911 AND REPORTED IT TO THE POLICE AND WAITED FOR THEM TO COME. THE CAR EXPLODED A COUPLE OF TIMES BEFORE THEY GOT TO ME AND THE FIRE QUICKLY ENGULFED THE CAR REACHING INTO THE CABIN OF THE VEHICLE. THE STREET HAD TO BE COMPLETELY BLOCKED OFF FROM ALL TRAFFIC. IT WAS A VERY SCARY EXPERIENCE AS WE BARELY MADE IT OUT OF THE CAR BEFORE IT BURST INTO FLAMES AND HOW RISKY IT WAS BEING IN THE CAR BEFORE IT CAUGHT FIRE. AS FAST AS EVERYTHING HAPPENED WE FEEL LUCKY TO BE ALIVE. IT TOOK THE FIRE CREW ABOUT AN HOUR TO PUT THE CAR OUT. EVERYTHING INSIDE THE CABIN WAS COMPLETELY DESTROYED. AFTER GETTING A RIDE HOME FROM THE POLICE I STARTED RESEARCHING ONLINE THE ISSUE I HAD JUST GONE THROUGH AND FOUND THAT THERE WAS MANUFACTURER RECALL #SC200TE, NHTSA RECALL #20V750 FOR MY VEHICLE WHICH SEEMED TO FIT THE EXPERIENCE I HAD WITH MY CAR.