NHTSA Complaint #11678871 — 2017 KIA SPORTAGE

The contact owned a 2017 Kia Sportage. The contact stated that while driving at 75 MPH, she observed black smoke emanating from the engine compartment. The contact was able to pull to the shoulder of the roadway and switch the vehicle off. After a visual inspection, she observed flames within the engine compartment emanating from a source unknown to the contact. Local emergency service arrived and was able to extinguish the fire, later attributing the fire to an unspecified equipment failure. No warning lights were 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, and no injuries were reported. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, a case was opened, and the contact was referred to the NHTSA hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 149,000.