Aussie man reveals terrifying moment Hyundai ‘burst into flames’ as class action looms

A Victorian dad has hit out at Hyundai after his new car caught alight on the road – after already being “fixed” by the company.

Victorian man Sumit Chugh was full of excitement when he bought his first new car a few years ago, but it wouldn’t take long before things took a truly terrifying turn.

The Clyde resident bought a Hyundai Tucson Active X in June 2017, and the vehicle came with a five-year warranty.

In April 2021, he learnt of a recall involving his vehicle, and took his car in to have it “fixed”.

But just six months later, disaster struck when he lent the car to his brother-in-law and his uni mates for a short road trip.

The group was on the way home from the coastal town of Lakes Entrance in eastern Victoria in October last year when they suddenly noticed smoke billowing from the engine bay.

Mr Chugh’s brother-in-law pulled over and thankfully, everyone exited the vehicle – because “within seconds” it was engulfed in flames.

“My brother-in-law was shivering on the phone – he was panicking and I had to calm him down,” Mr Chugh told news.com.au.

“We were very scared until we saw my brother-in-law and his mates with our own eyes – we were very worried.

“Luckily they managed to escape this … but how many lives have (been) put in danger?”

The car was “totally destroyed” in the fire, and Mr Chugh said he couldn’t bear to think about what could have happened if his wife, who was heavily pregnant at the time of the incident, had been driving instead.

Sumit Chugh's Hyundai Tucson burst into flames last year. Picture: Supplied

He told news.com.au that Hyundai advised him at the time to go through his insurance company, which failed to find a cause for the blaze and offered to cover the claim.

But Mr Chugh said he believed it was a manufacturing fault and that Hyundai should replace the vehicle as the fire occurred during the warranty period.

After a lengthy investigation, Hyundai told Mr Chugh they couldn’t find a fault and that they would not be replacing the vehicle under warranty.

He said he had been left out of pocket by the experience and that he feared for the safety of other vehicle owners.

A Hyundai Australia spokesman told news.com.au the company had looked into Mr Chugh’s case.

“Following the recent story in news.com.au, Hyundai Motor Company Australia (HMCA) checked on Mr Chugh’s case,” the spokesman said.

“It showed that the recall action was carried out on Mr Chugh’s vehicle in April 2021. The incident recounted in the story occurred in October 2021.

“HMCA appointed a fire investigator who advised that a fault in the ABS module subject to the safety recall was ruled out as a possible cause of the fire. This means that the incident was unrelated to the Tucson safety recall.

“If a vehicle safety concern affecting a Hyundai vehicle is identified, HMCA complies with its obligations under the Australian Consumer Law and takes appropriate recall action.

“We remain confident in the safety and integrity of our vehicles and make every effort to resolve issues for owners as quickly as possible.”

Meanwhile, Yvonne Dyer, from Werribee in Victoria, also had a frightening experience with her Hyundai i30 recently after noticing a “funny smell” coming from the car.

She also recently received an urgent safety recall letter from Hyundai, and told news.com.au she was now worried about her own safety.

“It’s really not good enough having these safety recalls … you can’t be driving and feel 100 per cent safe,” she said.

“Luck has been on my side but (the fault) increases the risk of serious injury or death and Hyundai or any other car manufacturers should not be selling a car that is unsafe for drivers or passengers.

“It’s a dangerous safety hazard and something could happen at any time under the right circumstances, so it has left me feeling a little bit shaken and worried.”

The car was ‘totally destroyed’. Picture: Supplied

Ms Dyer and Mr Chugh are now calling for other vehicle owners to come forward and register their details as a potential class action gets underway which could impact hundreds of thousands of Australian vehicles.

Last year, top-tier law firm Bannister Law announced it would be investigating a potential claim against Hyundai following the safety recall of 93,000 of its popular Tucson models, sold in Australia between November 1, 2014 and November 30, 2020.

The auto giant recalled the popular model due to the risk of an engine compartment fire, even when the vehicle was turned off, as a circuit in the ABS (anti-lock brake system) control module is constantly powered.

With the ABS module remaining charged with an electrical current even when the car is not running, that, combined with the ageing of the unit, can potentially allow moisture to enter the module and create a short-circuit and a risk of fire.

The company urged owners to park their cars on the street instead of within closed spaces like garages to reduce that risk prior to the recall repair being applied.

Later that year, the firm also announced it was investigating a potential claim against Kia Motors Australia – which falls under parent company Hyundai – for the losses for owners of 57,851 affected Kia QL Sportage and Kia CK Stinger vehicles subject to a safety recall involving the same fire risk

In late December 2019, Hyundai also recalled more than 100,000 i30’s from the years 2007 to 2012 due to “improper programming of the Airbag Control Unit (ACU)”, meaning “there is a possibility that the driver, passenger airbags and seat belt pretensioners could inadvertently deploy without impact”.

In 2020, almost 90,000 i30s and Elantras were recalled over a “manufacturing error” which could cause an electronic control circuit board in the Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS) module to short circuit when the components are exposed to moisture.

Affected Hyundai owners are urged to come forward. Picture: Alan Porritt/AAP

Later that year, a handful of Elantra vehicles were also recalled over another airbag issue.

Bannister Law is also now urging the more than 96,000 owners of Hyundai’s 2006 to 2009 model year Santa Fe SUVs, Hyundai i30 hatchbacks sold between November 7, 2006 and December 14, 2010 and Elantra sedans sold between August 17, 2005 and May 14, 2011 to register “in order to understand if any of the owners of the earlier recalls in 2020 of those vehicles suffered losses also and encourage those owners to describe what those losses are”.

Bannister Law principal Charles Bannister said his firm would file proceedings in the coming weeks on behalf of effected Hyundai and Kia owners that were the subject of the recalls and who have suffered consequential losses.

“Bannister Law is now encouraging all affected owners … to register on our website and provide any information as to the losses they are or have sustained by having to park the vehicle in open space,” he said.

Last year, Mr Bannister said the safety issue was causing significant distress to owners.

“We know from speaking to some of these drivers that this issue is keeping them up at night as it’s simply not possible for many city dwellers to park their car on the street,” he said at the time.

“We have heard from owners who are having to contend with bat excrement destroying paint work, damage from falling trees and branches and damage from cars and passers-by in busy, built up areas.

“What makes matters worse is that failing to act on this advice could affect insurance premiums as generally higher premiums are payable for street parked vehicles.

“And not attending to the recall itself may invoke insurance exclusions for cover if reasonable precautions are not taken. Hyundai owners are in a difficult position as the fixes will take months and it’s a serious problem in the meantime.”

Mr Bannister also said amendments to the Australian Consumer Law made in late 2020 may mean that “a failure to comply with a guarantee … that applies to a supply of goods is also a major failure if the failure is one of two or more failures to comply with a guarantee … that apply to the supply, and the goods would not have been acquired by a reasonable consumer fully acquainted with the nature and extent of those failures, taken as a whole”.

He said that “may mean that some consumers could demand a full refund if there are two or more minor failures (that) may constitute a major failure and give the consumer an option for refund”.

Owners of Hyundai Tucson, Santa Fe, i30, or Elantra models can register here.

Owners of KIA QL Sportage or CK Stringer models can register here.