SAN ANTONIO — Jane Kidder must park her 2013 Kia Sportage away from buildings and other vehicles because there is a possibility it could suddenly catch fire.
At least, that’s what the Kia recall notice she received last November said.
The notice states, “The Hydraulic Electronic Control Unit (HECU) may experience an electrical short circuit, which can result in an engine compartment fire while driving or parked.”
This is inconvenient for Kidder. Not only does she need to worry about the fire issue, but the only solution right now is to park the vehicle outdoors and away from other vehicles or structures while she waits for Kia to provide a solution.
Kidder called her local Kia dealer the next week to see if they had a solution, but they didn’t. Now five months later, she is still waiting. Finally, Kidder called KENS 5.
“I worry every time I get in it, if I go to the grocery store, that it’s going to catch on fire or just sitting out in the yard it will catch on fire,” Kidder said. “I worry about where they are going to leave me if it burns down.”
KENS 5 contacted the local Kia dealership and a service department representative said they were still waiting on Kia’s corporate office to notify them of a solution.
KENS 5 then started contacting Kia USA to find out what was going on and eventually spoke to Kia Head of Corporate Communications James Bell on the phone.
Bell first said Kia did have the parts they needed and the company was rolling out a phased solution to local dealerships.
“Kia has secured the parts to affect this recall. Starting late last month and the month of March we have been reaching out to affected owners and providing them the opportunity to make an appointment at their local dealer,” Bell said.
Unfortunately, after KENS 5 contacted several additional Kia dealerships, it became clear Kia did not have all the parts needed.
KENS 5 then contacted Bell again and asked if KIA could explain what was happening with the parts. Bell sent the following response:
“As mentioned on the phone, we are working diligently to collect necessary supply of the needed components. As also mentioned on our call, we are rolling out this recall in phases to a) avoid future parts delays and b) reduce impact on time needed at dealers to process the recall. Per these considerations, this customer will be notified on or around 5/24/24,” Bell said via email.
The recall that includes Kidder’s Sportage also includes 12 other KIA models and could potentially involve more than 1.7 million vehicles in total according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Kidder just hopes to have the vehicle repair done as soon as possible.
“That’s the only car I have so I worry about that. If it burns down I’m just without a car,” Kidder said.
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