Expanding fuel tanks in certain KIAs leave drivers feeling scared and frustrated

Expanding fuel tanks in certain KIAs leave drivers feeling scared and frustrated

“It’s something that I think Kia needs to get on top of now and immediately. And if they don’t, then the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration should,” said Michael Brooks, Executive Director of The Center for Auto Safety.

By Action 9 News
April 1, 2024

The owner of another Kia K5 has reported hearing an explosion right before finding their rear seats popped up.  This is the third case reported to Action 9 since January.

“It’s detached and everything,” said Alfrida Bryant as she showed the Action 9 team where the rear seats were partially detached from the rest of her car.

Bryant said she found the seats like this shortly after hearing a loud bang as she was driving down the road in North Carolina.

Bryant said, “It basically sounded like an explosion, like a bomb went off, and then it kind of shook the car.”

She just recently finished paying off her 2023 Kia K5.

“I love the style, the body, the way it looks.  I love everything about it,” she told Action 9.

She never expected problems so soon, but after getting it home after hearing that loud bang she discovered the seats were popped up.  She described the seat bench as being bowed in the middle.  She noted, it appeared to be an expanded fuel tank, a problem she saw in an Action 9 story that featured two other Kia K5 owners in central Florida.

Click here to view the full story from WFTV9 Orlando. 

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