Congressmen, States Now Demanding Recall of Hyundai and Kia Models

In 2017, safety regulators in the U.S. opened up formal investigations to determine the cause of a roughly 2.5 million-vehicle recall. Now, Connecticut Attorney General William Tong and U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal have demanded answers.

Early last month Kia Motors Corporation and its affiliate Hyundai Motor Company issued a statement informing the public that they are recalling an additional 534,000 vehicles. This is in addition to the 1.7 million vehicles recalled in May 2017.

According to reports, the popular Theta II engine found in the Hyundai Sontata, Santa Fe, along with the Kia Optima, Sorento and Sportage, is susceptible to failure resulting in stalling or fires. Some drivers have stated that their vehicles stalled or hesitated before seeing smoke coming from their engine compartments.

Although Attorney General Tong has not named other states in his office’s probe into the matter, Senator Blumenthal is openly demanding recalls of the defective Hyundai and Kia models, and demanding that the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration investigate following increasing reports of engine fires and stalls.

In addition to calls from U.S. politicians, the South Korean government is also taking aim at the automakers.

Reuters reported that in February of this year, South Korean prosecutors raided the office of Hyundai’s quality division in Seoul. The raid comes as part of a probe into how the automakers have handled the recalls over engine defects.

If you believe your vehicle has an open recall, you may check NHTSA’s website. When directed, plug in your vehicle’s 17-digit vehicle identification number into the NHTSA website. If your number does not appear, your vehicle does not have any open recalls.

If you or a family member has been involved in a serious Texas car accident and you suspect an auto defect or simply do not know the cause, please contact us today at The Callahan Law Firm in Houston, TX.