Kia, Hyundai Face Scrutiny of US Senate

Kia and Hyundai could be in the hot seat about reports of vehicle fires. The Korean automakers haven’t made a move to do anything about the alleged combustion risks, which has generated growing outrage to the point the U.S. Senate is getting involved.

The Republican chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee and top-ranking Democrat have united together to get to the bottom of the accusations. Anytime members from both parties agree on something, it’s a bit of a miracle. Yes, Hyundai and Kia should be sweating at the moment.

Originally, the Center for Auto Safety tabulated 103 complaints of fires from Kias and Hyundais that weren’t involved in a crash. The reports were filed with the U.S. government since June 12, which is quite the number in such little time. The recommendation of the Center was to issue a recall immediately for 3 million vehicles, something the Korean automakers have resisted.

Reuters reached out to both companies, but only Hyundai responded, saying it’s “reviewing” the request to appear before the Senate Commerce Committee.

Both Kia and Hyundai have been under government scrutiny for possible safety violations. For example, NHTSA has been looking into the claims that three recalls in the U.S. weren’t issued early enough and didn’t include all potentially effected vehicles. There’s a possible link between one of those recalls and the fire claims. At this point, things aren’t looking good for Kia or Hyundai.