NHTSA complaint: 2013 HYUNDAI SONATA — ENGINE
While driving my 2013 Hyundai Sonata, I smelled fuel fumes coming through my a/c vents for several minutes. I shut the a/c off and rolled the windows down. White smoke began billowing out of my exhaust tail pipe then from under the hood. Being in the far left lane of a five lane freeway, other motorists and I were placed in danger as I had to travel across all lanes of traffic as my vehicle billowed thick white smoke into the air limiting the clear view of other motorists and increasing the chance of causing collisions. I pulled over to the shoulder of the freeway and then lost all power steering and brakes on my vehicle. I applied the emergency brake and brought my vehicle to a stop then turned it off. I looked at the temperature gauge and it read normal range but the check engine light came on along with several other dash lights. Once I turned the vehicle off, flames and billowing smoke began coming from under my hood. Four to five minutes later the fire extended to the cabin then the vehicle was fully engulfed. The fire department arrived and extinguished the vehicle fire. Prior to this drive, I have not smelled any fuel leaks or fuel odor inside or outside of the vehicle. It appears a fuel delivery component was the cause of the issue.
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration — Office of Defects Investigation