Here are my questions for KIA
https://vimeo.com/396856026
" Personal Opinion & Questions for KIA Pakistan "
For last few days internet is on fire because of fire and Kia Sportage which went on fire this past Sunday.
You can read a detailed account of it here > https://www.facebook.com/groups/309434242505239?view=permalink&id=2891882830927021
Yesterday KIA Pakistan made a statement on their social media page on this matter . The statement is attached here with this post. Its greatly appreciated that KIA took initiative and took the matter seriously and responded very quickly. Never in the past any other car makers has done that in Pakistan so, overall they have made a good precedent and we all should welcome such stance.
Although personally I had few things in my mind after this official statement and I though I should share it. As always this is my opinion and not any binding or judgement. Everyone has and can have their own personal take on any matter in his/her . We all should agree to disagree BUT with a healthy and respectable counter argument. This is important because this way people learn and can resolve issues much faster and easier. I am personally not an expert on these matters but we all have some common sense and we can use that to understand certain facts and situations. So, let's go over it briefly.
I will share the video of the unfortunate fire one more time. This time I have added a clip when the Sportage was on fire along with the aftermath when everything converted to ashes. The fire probably happened on Sunday March 8th 2020 near Harappa and the vehicle left Multan. There were 1500 kilometers on the odometer and it was an almost a brand new car.
The car was taken to KIA dealership but KIA official statement does not tell which dealership. Multan being closer would be my guess. KIA statement mention that a technical team which obviously means the dealership service staff have inspected the vehicle and a preliminary report was prepared. It is so amazing that such an incident was investigated by dealer just within a one day
The report/ statement is attached here with this post. I will go over point by point. Again it's my opinion and I maybe 100% wrong in my perception. I leave it to readers.
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 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 is a very recent 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.
3.
The vehicle had 1500 kilometers approximately and obviously came with the factory oil most probably . 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 found in 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 is present in the vehicle cooling system. Will be discussed in the next point.
4.
The video clip 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 apprehend that despite such an extensive heat while 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 is needed.
Its 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.
As a backup info, Hyundai/Kia reached a 760 Million dollars settlement in United States after a US government agency NHTSA completed its investigation into engine fires of Kia/ Hyundai vehicles in United States. There were over 3100 engine fires and 103 reported injuries and in all these cases , the fire started in engine bay without the vehicle being in any accident/ crash itself.
Beside United States, prosecutors from South Korea also raided Hyundai and Kia offices in South Korea in 2019 as part of probe into allegations raised by Civic groups and transport ministry of Korea that Hyundai and Kia attempted to conceal defects in some of their models.
Well, an engine fire issue in North America does not neccesarily means that we might have same issue in Pakistan but during any investigation of this particular matter, we should keep in mind the fire errupting in Kia and Hyundai vehicles in United States and affecting almost 5 million +/- units. Like all car assemblers in Pakistan , Kia also import engines and we should keep that into consideration.
5.
The function of fuses is to isolate the problem area in case of short circuit and protect the wiring. Fuses blows away if the system detects overloading of the line on which the fuse is installed. That is the reason we have difference size of fuses and are based on amperage and total system load. There are two fuse boxes normally in the car. One reside in the engine bay area while the other under the dashboard on driver side most of the times and it is the same case with Sportage. The engine bay fuse box protects the ECU, ABS, TCU, Horn and stuff like that while the one inside controls the lighting, HVAC and other electrical systems. The statement said that "ALL FUSES WERE FOUND INTACT". This means all fuses in and out were intact. Although we can clearly see the engine bay fuse box is melted while if the inside fuses are intact as per statement means it didn't detect any short circuit and system overload otherwise there should be blown fuses. Again if fuses are intact as per KIA technicians, this would mean that the system didn't detect any error and if the fire started with short circuit, the fuses should be the first thing gone.
6/7/8.
One aftermarket installation as found. Well, I will help my readers with that. The only thing installed in the vehicle was a TRACKER which is stolen car recovery system. It was installed by 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 ".
Did KIA didnt mention Tracker because of fear of litigation ? If Tracker is the real cause , then say it with confidence. Why hiding it from public ?.
Normally Tracker is installed at dealerships. I am not sure about this particular Sportage that who is tracker company, who installed it and where.
As always, it’s highly recommended that never ever install any aftermarket accessories in your 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 car maker will always bring those modifications at the time of claims and can decline your warranty claim. So, stay away from any modifications whatsoever.
In the end I would like to say that unfortunately in our country there is no such independent agency who can take up such cases and investigate the technical problems and issues we don't have any quality control or any mandated safety requirements and laws. 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 .
It becomes very questionable and point of concern that currently in Pakistan , without an independent expert department, car maker itself making a judgment about a product they sell. It would be extremely impossible that a car maker regardless Toyota, Honda, Suzuki, Kia or whatever who operates in Pakistan would take a blame and accept an issue with their product.
In nutshell it is more of conflict of interest and whatever car makers say becomes the final say especially in case of technical issues. In becomes between the owner and the car companies / dealerships. The poor owner of the vehicle is always at the receiving end with no actual help and remedy to his problems and concerns. 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.
It's not matter of blame game. It's not matter of propaganda and it's not matter of defaming anyone.
It is is simple. Its matter of customer rights. Even if someone is 100% guilty and with all evidence against him/ her.. there is still need of an independent, neutral investigation so that a proper clean jugement can be achieved and any future issues can be reduced and eliminated.
& here it applies to all the parties involved; The car maker, The Owner as well as The Tracking company. Releasing a single page statement with one sided checkup and investigation does not bring anything positive. Its nothing more than conflict of interest. Today its KIA, yesterday it was Honda and before that it was Toyota.
Once again I thank you KIA Pakistan for being first in responding customers concerns. I highly recommend that all Sportages sold in Pakistan should be recalled at dealerships and inspected with keen eye for any loose fitings , any other parts or any abnormalities. I also suggest all 2L engines as in Sportage sold or on the assembly line must be tracked down by the engines numbers to make sure we don't have any problem engine. This will make KIA one step ahead of all others in the country.
Recalls and issues happens in automobile industry even in multi million hyper cars . Acknowledging it makes car companies customer caring and help them reduce overall liabilities.
Good luck!
&
Be safe
[ fw @Pakwheels.com]