A recall is implemented when a safety manufacturing defect is identified in a vehicle. In the case of serious defects such as fire, prompt recall is important as it can cause casualties. However, Kia is causing controversy by confirming the recall in South Korea after a whopping eight months since the fire broke out in the Kia Niro hybrid.
According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport of South Korea on March 7, Kia reported to the authorities that it would carry out a model recall within this month.
It has been about eight months since it was first reported to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport in August last year. On the other hand, in the United States, Kia is receiving a lot of criticism after it was confirmed that a recall was carried out in December of last year.
Why was the prompt recall in the US, while the recall in South Korea was delayed?
The fire in the Kia Niro Hybrid first occurred in the United States in July last year and was reported to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in August. As a result of the investigation, it was revealed that the cause was that liquid flowing in from outside penetrated the circuit board inside the hydraulic clutch actuator (HCA). HCA is a component that controls engine power connection when switching drive modes between the engine and electric motor. If the circuit board of the component is contaminated, it can lead to corrosion and short circuits, which can cause a fire.
The vehicles subject to recall are as follows: The Niro Hybrid produced from March 21, 2016, to December 22, 2021, and the Niro Plug-in Hybrid (PHEV) produced from April 25, 2017, to June 29, 2020. Therefore, the total number of recalled units is 111,307 units. Kia also reported the cause of the fire in Korea on August 16, 2023, but the recall was reportedly delayed due to problems with the supply of replacement parts. Despite huge complaints from South Korean owners, no action was taken until the US recall date was confirmed.
Kia’s stance is as follows:
According to Niro’s online club community, criticism is pouring in for “deceiving South Korean consumers.” The following various messages are posted on the NAVER online cafe.; I thought there was a big problem because the car suddenly spread in front of the toll gate,” “The transmission was completely burned out.” “I don’t know how long I can take this risk while driving.”
Kia responded, “The recall was delayed longer than expected because corrective preparations were not completed.” “The correction method has been decided, but the timing has been delayed due to the preparation of service parts, etc.,” “We are preparing for it to be implemented as soon as possible, and we will inform owners of vehicles subject to the recall as soon as the implementation date is confirmed,” Kia added.
Not the first time such an incident has occurred
Meanwhile, Hyundai Motor Group carried out a recall in the US in 2015 due to a fire problem. This includes the Hyundai Sonata, Grandeur, and Kia Sportage equipped with the Theta 2 engine, and the recall was implemented in the US in March 2015. On the other hand, in Korea, no action was taken, saying, “No problem is in the model for the South Korean market,” it was not until September 2017, 1 year and 6 months later, that the recall began. Meanwhile, many fires occurred in vehicles equipped with Theta 2 engines in South Korea.
Accordingly, industry experts emphasize that “an inspection agency like NHTSA’s Office of Defect Investigation (ODI) is needed.” The idea is to create a government agency supervising vehicle production, defects, and correction. In this regard, Netizens expressed the following reactions: “The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and Hyundai are on the same side, so inspection agency is meaningless, ” “Now where is the Hyundai’s staff who said there is no discrimination in the South Korean market?” “In front of money, a person’s life is like a fly’s life.”
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