NHTSA Complaint #11644899 — 2011 KIA SORENTO

The contact owned a 2011 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that, upon reaching her destination and turning the vehicle off, she smelled smoke in the interior of the vehicle. She then observed flames jutting up from underneath the driver's side seat, prompting her to evacuate immediately. Within minutes, the vehicle was completely engulfed in flames following what the contact described as an explosion. Local emergency services arrived and were able to extinguish the flames, later determining that faulty vehicle components caused the fire without human intervention. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a tow yard and deemed a total loss by the contact's insurance provider. A fire report was filed. A police report was not filed, but injuries were reported. The contact suffered various minor burns to her hands but did not seek medical attention, choosing instead to attend to her injuries herself at home. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V652000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic); the VIN was included, and parts were available. However, the contact stated that previous attempts to schedule the vehicle for repair had failed due to parts availability and a months-long waiting list. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, a case was opened, and a third-party engineer was sent to examine the vehicle, but a final report had yet to be provided to the contact. The failure mileage was 223,000.