Two South Korean carmakers, Hyundai Motor and Kia Motors, have been asked to testify before the U.S. Senate over engine fires.
According to Reuters, the Senate Commerce Committee’s Republican chairman and ranking Democrat said Wednesday that they had asked top U.S. executives at Hyundai and Kia to testify at a November 14th hearing on reports of engine fires involving vehicles from the Korean automakers.
The call to testify comes after safety advocates raised concerns about fires in vehicles not involved in collisions. The U.S. nonprofit, consumer advocacy group Center for Auto Safety(CAS) said last week that 103 fire complaints had been filed with U.S. safety regulators since June 12th, and urged an immediate recall of nearly three million vehicles.
The CAS particularly raised concern with a case of a noncollision fire that broke out in a Kia Soul model which led to the driver's death last year.
Hyundai has put out a statement, saying it is reviewing the request to testify. It also said that it actively monitors potential safety concerns, including noncollision fires, with all of its vehicles and acts swiftly to recall any vehicles with safety-related defects.
Hyundai and Kia had conducted a major recall in the U.S. over engine defects.