New Hyundai test center aims to improve safety

[Michael Brooks with the Center for Auto Safety] says he hopes the testing center makes Hyundai and Kia vehicles safer, but he’s reserving judgment until he sees the results, adding, “It could be dedicated to make sure their cars are pretty safe but also combatting allegations that their cars may be defective, so the proof is kind of in the pudding here. We’ll just have to wait and see how this develops and how it impacts the behavior of Hyundai and Kia.”

By Greg Fox
November 23, 2023

Since 2018, WESH 2 Investigates has been bringing you local stories, of drivers experiencing spontaneous non-crash fires involving Kia and Hyundai vehicles.

Some included vehicles erupting in flames and burning houses, including at least four in Central Florida, in Kissimmee, Titusville, Ocala, and Deltona.

Betty Davis, the owner of a home in Deltona, was hospitalized and nearly died when her Kia Sportage began burning, and destroyed her home, killing her dog and three cats.

“The whole thing was just horrendous! You know, they had to tear the house down. It’s just a vacant lot now,” Davis told WESH 2 Investigates in 2019.

There were at least 3,100 cases nationwide reported to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), between 2010 and 2022, and to date, there have been more than 10 million recalls of Kias and Hyundais for fire risk.

Click here to view the full story from WESH 2 News Orlando.