Kia's "Buttumak Edition"? Automaker Reverses Stance After Media Inquiry [Subtitled News]

[Whistleblower/Victim of car seat fire: I had only driven about 1km from my home on my way to work. Suddenly, smoke started rising from the seat. I poured a bottle of water from the trunk, but the fire showed no signs of going out; instead, it started making crackling sounds like an electrical short. Then, the fire spread much faster than I expected. I felt terrified, thinking about how dangerous it would have been if I had been on the highway. I could have been completely engulfed in flames.]

Last March, a Kia hybrid sedan driving on a road in Suwon was suddenly engulfed in flames.

The vehicle, released in 2023, had no history of modifications or tuning and had never been in an accident.

According to the fire department's investigation, the fire was likely caused by friction and compression of wires under the seat.

[Lee Ho-geun/Professor of Future Automotive Engineering at Daeduk University: The harness is not a part that a driver can manipulate or touch in their daily routine. It is not a component that requires regular replacement or periodic inspection. From the driver's perspective, it would be very difficult to accept that any driver negligence was involved in the cause of the fire.]

The driver requested an investigation into the cause and repairs from the manufacturer, but the service center's response was absurd.

[Service Center Employee: No clear evidence has been identified. However, the message we received said that since the customer's liability seems unlikely, please provide active customer support.]

[Whistleblower/Victim of car seat fire: Then what exactly is going to happen...]

[Service Center Employee: It means the cause is unknown. But the warranty period has expired. The only option is insurance repair. You can move your car out; this isn't a parking lot.]

The manufacturer insisted that the driver use their own insurance, citing that the vehicle's three-year warranty had expired, as the accident occurred at the three-year and six-month mark.

However, the situation changed once the SBS News Hunters team asked the manufacturer for their stance.

[Kim Jong-won/Anchor, News Hunters: When we first asked, they said it was difficult to determine the cause of the fire and required careful review. They claimed they advised the customer to use their own insurance first to minimize inconvenience due to the lengthy investigation process. That was their initial response. But yesterday, Sunday (June 14), the manufacturer's stance changed. They stated that while it is not easy to determine the cause of the fire, they would proceed with free repairs to minimize customer inconvenience. They changed their position, saying they would communicate with the customer with a sense of responsibility.]

It was only after the media inquiry that the manufacturer changed its position and promised free repairs.

Experts advised that in preparation for potential future legal disputes, it is crucial to meticulously record and preserve the condition of the vehicle and all relevant data immediately after an accident occurs.

(Planning: Lee Se-young | Video Editing: Kim Na-on | Source: News Hunters | Produced by SBS Digital News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.