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2015 KIA OPTIMA — STRUCTURE:BODY

fire1 injured · 1623302 · 2019-11-23

Vehicle

Make
KIA
Model
OPTIMA
Year
2015
Manufacturer
Kia America, Inc.
Component
STRUCTURE:BODY
Miles at failure
19,524
Speed
70 mph

Severity

Deaths
0
Injured
1
Fire
Yes
Crash
No
Police report
No
Medical attention
Yes
Vehicle towed
No

Narrative

AS I WAS DRIVING ON THE INTERSTATE 3 VEHICLES PASSED WAVING FRANTICALLY BEFORE SPEEDING BY. I NOTICED A REFLECTIVE ORANGE FLICKER ALONG THE BASE EACH VEHICLE. THIS WAS FOLLOWED UP BY A LOUD KNOCKING SOUND BEFORE I LOST ALL ACCELERATING POWER BUT RETAINED RPM REVS AS I PRESSED THE PEDAL. I ALLOWED THE MOMENTUM TO GET ME AS FAR UP THE EXIT RAMP AS POSSIBLE PRIOR TO PULLING OVER ONTO THE GRASS. I PLACED THE CAR IN PARK AND TURNED IT OFF TO BE MET WITH AN INSTANT ROLL OF SMOKE UP THE FRONT WINDSHIELD, OUT OF THE FRONT GRILL, AND FROM THE PASSENGER SIDE TIRE AREA. I EXITED THE VEHICLE TO THE SOUND OF LIQUID HITTING A HOT SURFACE AND HISSING. I STEPPED AWAY FROM THE VEHICLE AND LOOKED UNDERNEATH TO BE MET WITH ROLLS OF FIRE DRIPPING TO THE GROUND FROM BENEATH THE ENGINE AND ALONG THE BOTTOM CENTER OF THE UNDERCARRIAGE OF THE CAR. I IMMEDIATELY CLEARED THE AREA AND MY VEHICLE WAS COMPLETE ENGULFED IN FLAMES IN LESS THAN 4 MINUTES. NO SENSORS OR ALARMS NOTIFIED ME OF ANY TYPE OF MALFUNCTION.

Source

Authoritative
NHTSA ODI Flat-File Downloads
ODI Number
11281964
Machine
JSON-LD · Markdown