Kia Motors America said it will recall more vehicles if a second investigation finds that an engine defect caused a 2019 Kia Soul to burst into flames on the H-3 freeway, critically injuring two Hawaii tourists.
The Korean automaker told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser that it has launched a second, “more comprehensive inspection” following a lawsuit that was filed against the company by 33-year-old Jordan Carlton, whose body was almost entirely burned when his rental car spontaneously caught fire June 30, also severely injuring his mother, who leaped from the moving vehicle to survive.
The Oklahoma native, who is still fighting for his life at Straub Medical Center, and his parents, Robert and Becky, are suing Kia Motors America Inc. as well as car rental company Avis Budget Group Inc. for causing “excruciating pain and suffering” and severe injuries and disability due to an engine defect that is the subject of thousands of fires in Kia and Hyundai vehicles nationwide.