Kia and Hyundai defect petition DP18003
Non-crash Vehicle Fires. NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation opened this defect petition about the cables on 34 model years (2010–2015). Opened Aug 21, 2018, closed May 10, 2019 after 9 months. It led to safety recall 18V907000, 18V934000, 19V120000, 19V204000. became a recall
What NHTSA says
Source: Office of Defects Investigation, as filedIn a letter dated June 11, 2018, the Center for Auto Safety (CAS) petitioned the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to initiate a safety defect investigation into non-collision related fires on model year (MY) 2011-2014 Kia Optima and Sorento, and Hyundai Sonata and Santa Fe vehicles. In a letter dated July 24, 2018, CAS requested that MY 2010-2015 Kia Soul vehicles be added to the petition. CAS stated that there is a higher number of complaints to NHTSA regarding non-crash fires on these vehicles compared to other similar vehicles. The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) had already opened Recall Queries (RQ17-003 and RQ17-004) on all Kia and Hyundai vehicles equipped with Theta II engines for engine failures that may cause stalling and fires. The queries cover most of the petition subject Optima, Sorento, Sonata, and Santa Fe vehicles but not any of the subject Soul vehicles. On August 21, 2018, ODI opened a Defect Petition (DP18-003) to evaluate whether to grant or deny the CAS petition. ODI sent Information Request letters to Kia and Hyundai (September and October 2018) requesting information on all engine and non-engine related fires in the petition vehicles. ODI performed extensive analysis on the information obtained from Kia and Hyundai. During the DP18-003 analysis, Kia and Hyundai each initiated three additional safety recalls related to engine compartment fires on certain petitioned and non-petitioned vehicles (nearly 740,000 total vehicles: Recalls 18V-907, 18V-934, 19V-101, 19V-063, 19V-120, and 19V-204). Based on ODI?s review of the applicable materials, including responses to Information Requests sent to multiple manufacturers, Vehicle Owner Questionnaires (VOQ), and Early Warning Data, NHTSA decided to grant the petition. The CAS petition was granted on March 29, 2019. Preliminary Evaluations (PE19-003 on Hyundai and PE19-004 on Kia) have been opened to assess the scope, frequency, and potential safety-related consequences of alleged defects relating to non-collision vehicle fires in the 2011-2014 Kia Optima and Sorento, 2011-2014 Hyundai Sonata and Santa Fe, and 2010-2015 Kia Soul. Attached is a list of the reference numbers for the 404 VOQs cited above.
A Defect Petition is a petition from a member of the public asking NHTSA to open a defect investigation; the agency grants or denies it and publishes the reasons. The summary is the agency’s own text from its investigation file, unedited; the opening and closing resumes with the full reasoning are on NHTSA’s site under this number.
What this means for an owner
Source: and what happens nextAn investigation is not a finding that a defect exists, and it puts no duty on anyone. NHTSA opens a Preliminary Evaluation when complaints and other reports suggest a condition worth asking the manufacturer about; it upgrades to an Engineering Analysis when the answers warrant testing; it closes either when it recommends a recall, when the manufacturer recalls on its own, or when no defect trend is found. The agency’s own goals are about four months for a petition, eight for a Preliminary Evaluation or a Recall Query and eighteen for an Engineering Analysis; many run longer.
This one became a recall. The campaign page carries the manufacturer’s filed defect, risk and remedy, the build window and every model year covered; whether one specific vehicle is included is settled by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Model years it names
Source: as NHTSA filed themAlso named: 2011 Hyundai Santa FE; 2012 Hyundai Santa FE; 2013 Hyundai Santa FE; 2014 Hyundai Santa FE; 2013 Hyundai Santa FE Sport; 2014 Hyundai Santa FE Sport; 2011 Hyundai Sonata; 2012 Hyundai Sonata; 2013 Hyundai Sonata; 2014 Hyundai Sonata; 2011 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid; 2012 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid; 2013 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid; 2014 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid; 2011 Kia Optima; 2012 Kia Optima; 2013 Kia Optima; 2014 Kia Optima; 2011 Kia Optima Hybrid; 2012 Kia Optima Hybrid; 2013 Kia Optima Hybrid; 2014 Kia Optima Hybrid; 2011 Kia Sorento; 2012 Kia Sorento; 2013 Kia Sorento; 2014 Kia Sorento; 2010 Kia Soul; 2011 Kia Soul; 2012 Kia Soul; 2013 Kia Soul; 2014 Kia Soul; 2015 Kia Soul; 2014 Kia Soul EV; 2015 Kia Soul EV.
A vehicle page’s investigation list carries the same action; a name here is the scope NHTSA opened, not a list of affected VINs.
Common questions
Source: NHTSA Office of Defects InvestigationIs DP18003 a recall?
No — it is the investigation that led to one. Recall 18V907000, 18V934000, 19V120000, 19V204000 is the campaign; its page carries the remedy.
Is DP18003 still open?
No. It closed on May 10, 2019 and led to recall 18V907000, 18V934000, 19V120000, 19V204000.
Which vehicles does DP18003 cover?
NHTSA opened it on 34 model years: 2011 Hyundai Santa FE, 2012 Hyundai Santa FE, 2013 Hyundai Santa FE, 2014 Hyundai Santa FE, 2013 Hyundai Santa FE Sport, 2014 Hyundai Santa FE Sport and more. That is the scope of the inquiry, not a list of affected vehicles; a recall, if one follows, defines its own population by VIN.