Originally published at: https://www.pakwheels.com/blog/after-sportage-fire-in-tucson-should-it-be-ignored/
Vehicle fires are not a new thing globally and we have seen it locally here in Pakistan as well and many times. In the past few years, we have seen a number of such incidents in Pakistan . While in most of the cases, there were older used cars, in some cases, the brand new models also caught fire and made headlines and as a reminder the 10th generation Honda Civic, KIA Sportage and now Hyundai Tucson. The very first reason and opinion people make after these fires is the installation of aftermarket accessories into the vehicle and, more specifically, any electrical component. Although any aftermarket component and its improper installation can cause electrical issues and short circuit and void vehicle warranty, there can be many other reasons for the fire, especially in the engine bay.
Last year back in March of 2020, virtually a brand new [1500 kilometers on odometer] KIA Sportage went on fire and made headlines. Obviously it started an extensive discussion all cross the country among car enthusiasts and general public. Fast forward and on January 19th, 2021 the social media is on fire with the news about the Hyundai Tucson on fire. Although both these fires are one off incidents , we will go over both situations one by one for our readers.
Before we start, keep in mind that both Hyundai Tucson and KIA Sportage use the same engine and share other components in the engine bay.
Hyundai Tucson Fire :
At this time
not much details are available except number of video clips and pictures shared from various angles. Dense smoke can be seen coming out of the engine bay and passerby are helping to
put down a possible fire with sand and dirt. An actual
flame of fire is not seen but looking at the condition of the engine bay, once can assume easily that it really went into fire and went thorough
extreme heat event. Later one, rescue team arrived on the scene and handled the situation accordingly.
Hyundai Nishat started the delivery of Tucson by September 2020 onwards and the delivery is on slow pace as we already know and we can assume that the vehicle in this unfortune event is not that much old . The extreme heat can be seen concentrated on the driver side mid point of the bonnet and it seems like the main concentration of fire might be in this particular area with spread all over the engine compartment under the bonnet in the engine bay.
It is very early to predict and assume any reasons for this fire until it is properly and scientifically investigated. Many people immediately blame installation of HID [ High Intensity Discharge bulbs ] into headlights causing fire. Hyundai Tucson already comes with LED projector headlights with an additional feature of dynamic focus and auto leveling feature. Installation of a typical HID in such lights is not easy and cause auto-levelling feature to lose calibration. I personally don't think of any such aftermarket installation in this particular vehicle.
KIA Sportage Fire, Does The Tucson fire Now Rings Any Bell ?
KIA Sportage fire incident happened in
March of 2020 . Huge flams of fire were seen in this case and extreme heat melted every other part of the engine compartment. The fire was so intense, it even opened
seams of the bonnet. The Sportage fire news spread on
social media like always and after few days
KIA Pakistan made an official statement via their Facebook page by releasing a 8 point report. Below is the official statement in regards to the KIA Sportage fire.
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The Kia Sportage fire is now an old and shut case and public already forgot about it but the fire in Tucson have now reminded everyone again and refreshed the memories. Hyundai fans have also started reminding KIA fans about it. I would like to go over what we know from the official statement and personally, I had some reservations on the report and I would share it as follows. Again its my opinion on basis of available information and I will go point by point.
- It is good to know the fire was contained within the engine compartment and didn't engulf the passenger cabin. Also it's very fortunate that the driver was able to stop car safely and exit the vehicle. Imagine if the fire started at high speeds and for any reasons the driver had panicked and the situation could have been worse. The fire was contained in the engine bay area, but the flames were going almost 10 feet above the engine bay anyone can easily image the intensity of heat and fire. Also the fire remained intact for several minutes until locals came and helped contain the fire.
- Engine oil was checked through the dip stick, but was the engine oil drained and checked for any solids? And in this case any metal shavings ? Was the engine head removed and inspected ? Was the engine de-mounted from the vehicle and inspected for any damage to engine block ? Checking the oil level via dip stick does not tell all the story. Was the head gasket inspected ? If not then how come we can say that everything is fine with an engine? Were fuel rails inspected as well as fuel feed lines ? Because there was a recall in North America from KIA / Hyundai for the low quality material used in manufacturing the fuel lines which can crack at certain vehicle operating conditions and can cause fire.
- The vehicle had 1500 kilometers approximately and most probably came with the factory oil most. What does the word "STANDARD" color mean? All engine oils turns of same color after use in vehicle even after few hundred kilometers. What is the control color with which the color of the oil of this vehicle was compared ? Was any transmittance instrument was used to check both the transmittance and reflectance ? OR the technician at the dealership just made a visual assessment by looking at it. As I said is there any control oil sample for a vehicle with 1500 kilometers ? Yes, normally in case of engine seizure the oil color can change when the coolant and oil mixes but if there is any coolant present in the vehicle cooling system. Will be discussed in the next point.
- The video clip with Sportage on fire shows the intensity of the fire and the damage it has done in the engine bay area. Almost all plastic and rubber parts melted even the plastic engine cover is gone. One can hardly pinpoint the parts of engine properly. It is very hard to comprehend that despite such an extensive heat which even melted everything and even opened the seams of the bonnet , it didn't melt the rubber hoses going from engine to radiator.
As per statement the engine coolant was found in normal condition and there is no sign of engine overheating. There is an upper and lower radiator hoses for in and out movement of coolant while there is a hose which connects to the bottle for overflow/ expansion of coolant. In one of the available clip one can see the damage to the lower coolant hose and even the clamp is moved away from its position because of extreme heat. At one spot, it seems like the rubber hose has a slit opening. Again its very difficult for me to imagine that the coolant remained in the system and the technicians were able to inspect it even after having damage to the engine cooling lines. The lower hose damage means there will be no coolant in the system. Again a clarification was required. It is also worth noting that many Kia Sportage owners have been reporting consistent coolant level drop and without any reason. Coolant drop even below minimum levels on number of Kia Sportages as shared by their owners. 6. 7. & 8
One aftermarket installation as found. The only thing installed in the vehicle was a TRACKER which is stolen car recovery system. It was installed by the bank for insurance purposes and protection. Thousands of cars roam around with trackers and although I agree that improper installation of TRACKER can result in any problems.
KIA mentions like any other car maker that any electrical modifications will result in voiding the warranty which is a typical warranty language. Well KIA didn't mention what was that aftermarket installation ? Why there is no name for this aftermarket device? KIA must have named the device so, that there is no other such incident in future. In the larger interest of public and any potential buyers, KIA should have mentioned the exact aftermarket device and should not have used a blanket term. For any layman an aftermarket mean "HID, LED or any other electrical or mechanical additions or modification" . I failed to understand why KIA is protecting and hiding problem causing device , "IF TRACKER " was the case of fire. KIA should update their warranty document and clearly mention that installation of any aftermarket accessories including " THE TRACKER ".
I have to share
my opinion for my readers, so when we cross reference the Tucson and Sportage fire incidents, we have some background information and especially the official statement from KIA in regards to Sportage fire.
Hyundai-KIA Fire Recall Kia and Hyundai vehicles going on fire have been in the news forever in North America. To make the matter worse for Hyundai/ Kia, an employee of the company came forward during the investigation and became a whistle-blower and told that the companies knew about the fire issues, but they remained silent and didn’t acknowledge the problem until the government agency intervened and take up the issue after thousands of complaints.
Last year Hyundai/ Kia reached a $760 Million settlement with the US government. This was after an extensive investigation by NHTSA [ National Highway Traffic Safety Administration ], which was launched by a government agency after receiving complaints about engine failures and fires. Approximately 3100 engine fire/ failure complaints were received where more than 100 reported injuries, and there was no accident/ crash in these reported incidents, which could have caused an engine fire. The settlement includes the compensation for over 4 million Kia/ Hyundai owners affected by the engine failure and fire. So, let’s go over briefly what was causing the North American engine fires.
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Basic Issue in the US:
Basically, in the 2.0L or 2.4L Hyundai / Kia engines, during a manufacturing process of the engine block , some debris from the process of making an engine can be left behind, which can block a port and stop the flow of oil during engine operation, which can result in connecting rod bearing to fail. This can result in damage to the engine block and can cause the oil to leak and result in fire.
While in some other causes, a high-pressure fuel line can leak and cause the engine fire. In some cases, fires were caused by the overheating of the catalytic converter. The affected vehicles were manufactured between 2011 to 2019, and faulty engines were used both by the Kia and Hyundai, which includes Sonata, Santa FE, Sportage, Sorento, Tucson, Optima. The overseas engine failures and fire issue are related to the engine manufactured at the Hyundai engine plant in North America, and it is believed that the problem is only exclusive to North America at this time.
Now more recently, KIA & Hyundai North America have recalled number of models from various years under their lineup for a possible engine fire due to brake oil fluid leakage inside a hydraulic control unit for the anti-lock brakes, which can cause an electrical short that can lead to fires. This is completely separate new recall than the earlier engine fire risk recalls and affect over 600,000 units in North America. The problem is so serious that, KIA and Hyundai have asked the owners of problem vehicles / recalled units to park their vehicles outside their homes because of risk of fire.
Pakistan Domestic Models Tucson & Sportage and US Recall:
The engine failure and fires in North American Kia / Hyundai does not necessarily mean that the fire cause in Pakistan assembled Kia Sportage or Hyundai Tucson is the same. The Kia Sportage and Tucson in Pakistan does use same 2.0L engine but with a Multi-Point Injection. The fire issue was reported and investigated on US models is with direct injection, but the same 2.0L engine can be equipped with a Multi-Port or Direct injection System.
In other words, the engine block remains the same; the injection system can be different depending on the use and application . As the cause of the fire is related to the manufacturing process ”machining debris” of the engine block itself, which can later cause the blockage of oil, resulting in engine damage and causing a fire, the problem can be in any type of engine regardless of the injection type the engine use.
Both Hyundai and KIA share engines and other components and mostly manufactured at the same location , that is the reason the same problem is affecting models from both brands. It is for further information that the engines in North American KIA and Hyundai are primarily made in USA and the issue is exclusive to North American market only. The engines made at South Korea have not reported with the same problem.
As a reminder back in February 2019, South Korean prosecutors raided Hyundai and KIA main offices and other facilities in an investigation which alleged that both companies concealed defects in some of their vehicles. In 2017 a similar raid was also conducted by South Korea's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport agency after many civic groups requested for probe into Hyundai and KIA over coverup of defects in 12 different models. That investigation resulted in recall of around 238,000 vehicles in South Korea.
Hyundai & KIA's Role in Pakistan:
Kia and Hyundai have restarted their operation in Pakistan, and consumers have a lot of expectations from them. This specific fire incident of Pakistan assembled Hyundai Tucson and KIA Sportage last year should not be taken in isolation and must be thoroughly investigated. Although KIA Pakistan already made a statement on the Sportage fire last year, now this Tucson fire should raise some red flags. It’s important for KIA and Hyundai Pakistan to take this matter seriously and both companies should looks for causes.
It’s a matter of make or break their reputation. This fire in Pakistan should be investigated for causes, and they should make sure that a Pakistan Assembled KIA or Hyundai must not use any of the engines which have a fire risk. During any investigation of this new particular matter of Tucson , Hyundai Pakistan should keep in mind the fire erupting in Kia and Hyundai vehicles in the United States and affecting almost 5 million+ units.
Pakistan import engines for local assembly so, the Tucson engine which went on fire should be tracked down, especially keeping in mind that similar fire was also reported last year in the identical engine as in KIA Sportage. There is a due chance that this recent Tucson and last year Sportage fire incident are an unrelated fire and not necessarily related to engine fires KIA and Hyundai are facing in North American Market, but we don’t know until its fully and neutrally investigated.
Situation in Pakistan:
The percentage and ratio of 2 vehicles fires in Pakistan among thousands of Sportage+ Tucson combined on the road makes a very low probability of any any identical issues or any relevance with the overseas engine and other associated components recall BUT in both these local cases we have seen similar fires with the similar engine under the hood of the two different vehicles. We should keep in mind that overseas engine recall even involved vehicles from as far behind as model year 2011 under Kia/ Hyundai brand lineup . The investigation and recall only started after 2017 by the federal regulator and 3100 reported fires resulted in recall of around 5 Million vehicles. These 5 Million recalled vehicles in North America does not necessarily mean that all these will go on fire definitely in their lifetime but have a high risk of engine fires and obviously need the issues fixed.
Tips To Avoid Such Incidents:
As always, it’s highly recommended that we never ever install any aftermarket accessories in our vehicle as that will void your warranty and in case if there is any problem with the car because of any other reason, the dealer and carmaker will always bring those modifications at the time of claims and can decline your warranty claim. So, stay away from any modifications whatsoever.
We hope that Hyundai Pakistan would officially take up this matter and investigate the cause of the fire and make it public. This will also help them secure the trust of the customers, especially in a new market of Pakistan. I hope the government should also seriously think about establishing an independent, neutral agency for the automobile/ transport sector who can investigate technical matters and report their findings. In the absence of such an agency, it is the car assemblers/ dealer vs. the car owners in case of any problems and issues, and it’s very clear the customer rights can easily be violated, and no one would know the real causes.
Stay Tuned for more updates .