MESA, AZ — Melissa Thompson and her family loved their 2012 Kia Soul, calling it 'nice' and 'reliable'.
But their feelings changed on January 2, 2023.
Melissa's husband was driving on the U.S. 60 in Mesa with their two children in the back seat. Suddenly, she says, the engine started smoking. Within minutes the car was on fire.
"My son was looking at me, his eyes were so big, and he just said, 'mom the car [is] on fire.' I was holding back tears," Melissa said recalling the hectic moments after she arrived on scene.
Everyone was able to get out of the car safely, but the incident had a major impact on the family. For a time, Melissa says her children were nervous getting into vehicles and they've all experienced stress and anxiety.
Melissa says the car was destroyed. The family's insurance policy covered the cost of what they'd lost. Melissa also reached out to Kia. The company started an investigation into what happened.
"It's scary," Melissa said remembering the day.
In an email sent to Melissa, Kia states: 'internal engine failure resulted in a hole in the block allowing oil to escape and ignite on contact with heated exhaust components.'
Kia's seen this before. In fact, millions of vehicles have been recalled due to concerns about non-crash fire risks. That does include some 2012 Kia Souls. But Melissa says when she looked up her VIN number, it showed no active recalls.
We asked Kia why Melissa didn't find an active recall for her car. The company didn't answer that question but did say her vehicle qualifies for their engine class settlement.
Michael Brooks, executive director with the Center for Auto Safety, worries about other drivers in similar situations. He specifically mentions drivers whose vehicles may be under recall but haven't gotten the repair.
"Over half of the vehicles, in some cases, a third are still left driving on the road, driving around and ready to catch fire anytime this condition occurs," Brooks says.
The Center for Auto Safety, which advocated for the initial Kia recalls, also issued a consumer warning to used car buyers detailing the risk of engine failure and potential fire risk in certain Kias and Hyundais, although it does not mention 2012 Kia Souls.
Brooks questions whether some of the recall fixes, like installing sensor software instead of replacing engines, fully address the safety hazard.
"They're not really addressing the underlying defect that's causing the problems here, which is, you know, a poor engine design," Brooks stated.
The Let Joe Know team asked Kia about these concerns. The company responded in an email, sending us a previous press release from Kia which details their class action litigation for drivers with certain engines.
Prior to Kia's class action litigation, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced an expanded investigation into the scope of Kia and Hyundai's recalls related to non-crash fire risk, as well as the efficacy of recall remedies.
Brooks says drivers, like Melissa, deserve more transparency about the safety of their cars.
"We're a family. We matter. We had our entire life turned upside down by this," Melissa said.
Below is Kia's full statement to Let Joe Know regarding the incident:
"At Kia America, vehicle safety is a main priority. We strive to foster a culture of transparency and accountability and are proud of our strong safety record and the integrity of our products.
After inspecting the engine compartment of Ms. Thompson’s vehicle, we determined that a hole in the engine block allowed oil to escape and ignite. As the customer has settled with their insurance company and the vehicle qualifies for the engine class settlement, Kia referred the customer to the class administrator (htps://www.kiaengineclasssetlement.com/).
Kia America continuously evaluates our vehicles as part of ongoing monitoring activities, initiates necessary field actions, including recalls, and provides quarterly reports to NHTSA regarding consumer complaints, notices and claims as required under applicable regulations.
When determining the scope of a recall, we take into account various data sources to help ensure that our actions comply with applicable law. We periodically revisit such data sources to help ensure our decisions continue to comply with applicable law. Our assessments are based on data and engineering analyses that help support NHTSA’s stated mission of traffic safety for the American public.
Kia customers are encouraged to contact Kia Customer Care at (800) 333-4542 with any questions or concerns regarding their Kia vehicles."
You can learn more about Scripps News' investigation into non-crash fire risk in certain Kia vehicles here.
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