[Subtitle News] "Buttumak Edition" in a Kia? Automaker Reverses Stance After Inquiry

[Informant/Victim of Car Seat Fire: I had only driven about 1km from my house 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 a short circuit. 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. The entire car could have been incinerated.]

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

The vehicle, released in 2023, was accident-free and had no history of modifications or tuning.

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 a part that the driver cannot touch or manipulate in any way during normal operation. It is not a part that requires regular replacement or maintenance. From the driver's perspective, it would be extremely difficult to accept that driver negligence played any role in the cause of the fire.]

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

[Service Center Employee: No clear evidence has been identified. However, the instruction we received was that since there is no probability of customer liability, we should provide active customer service.]

[Informant/Victim of Car Seat Fire: Then what exactly does that mean...]

[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; this isn't a parking lot.]

Because the vehicle's warranty period was three years and the accident occurred at the three-year-and-six-month mark, they told the driver to use their own auto insurance.

However, when the SBS News Hunters team asked the manufacturer for their position, the situation changed.

[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 because the investigation would take time. But yesterday (June 14), which was the weekend, the manufacturer's stance changed. They stated that while it is difficult to determine the cause of the fire, they would provide free repairs to minimize customer inconvenience and would communicate with the customer in a responsible manner.]

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

Experts advise that in preparation for potential future legal disputes, one should meticulously record and preserve the condition of the vehicle and all related 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.