Hyundai and Kia sued after recalling vehicles for THIS reason, check details here

A class action was filed in Santa Ana, California, following the recall of nearly 485,000 cars from the model years 2014 to 2019 by Hyundai and Kia.

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Korean automakers Hyundai and Kia were sued on February 25, 2022 for allegedly having defective anti-lock brake systems that caused fires.

South Korean automakers recalled nearly 485,000 cars on February 8 ranging from model years 2014 to 2019. A class action was filed in federal court in Santa Ana, California, following the recall.

According to Hyundai and Kia, faulty hydraulic electronic control units could cause electrical shorts, even while vehicles were in motion or parked, increasing fire risk in engine compartments.

They recommended that vehicles be parked outside and away from others, and said dealers would install new fuses. A total of 11 fires have been reported.

According to their complaint, vehicle owners and renters complained that the fix only addressed the defect temporarily, and did not compensate them for out-of-pocket expenses or their vehicles' loss of use or value.

The lawsuit also covers many other Hyundai and Kia vehicles from the 2006 through 2021 model years with similar alleged defects. It seeks unspecified compensatory and punitive damages.

Hyundai had no immediate comment. Kia did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Fire and engine problems have long dogged both automakers. The non-profit Centre for Auto Safety said that since 2015, nearly 7.9 million Hyundai and Kia vehicles from the 2006 to 2022 model years were recalled for such issues.

In November, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration awarded more than US$24 million to a whistleblowing former Hyundai engineer who in 2016 said the automaker was not addressing an engine flaw that could cause crashes.

A year earlier, Hyundai and Kia agreed to pay US$210 million in civil fines after NHTSA found they were too slow to recall more than 1.6 million vehicles with engine defects.

With inputs from Reuters