By Steven Symes 
Having your car catch fire is always going to be a bad day, but when a 2019 Kia Optima burned in a driveway right after a dealership service department visit, the owner had a lot of questions. Thankfully, her daughter was able to get out of the vehicle as the engine compartment became a mini inferno.
Someone abandoned a Porsche on a hiking trail.
However, it sounds like she wasn’t prepared to wait months while Kia conducted an investigation into what happened. In fact, she tells WFMY that she ended up missing two car payments before breaking down and filing a total loss claim with her insurance so the loan would be paid in full.
That Optima had been at the local Kia dealership’s service department for an engine replacement. We know you’re shocked a Kia or Hyundai that’s only six years old needed a new engine (that’s sarcasm, just to clarify).
We’re also not shocked a Kia (or Hyundai) had its engine catch on fire while parked. Both brands have struggled with that problem in the past. However, the conclusion Kia drew after four months of investigating the blaze was a little unexpected.
The automaker deduced the fire started thanks to an improper route for the wiring harness. That certainly would do it.
While the woman is complaining about what might have happened to her daughter, and thank goodness nothing did, Kia covered a rental car for the duration of the investigation. That’s actually pretty generous of the company, considering it cost about $6,000.
Honestly, the rental fees probably totaled up to near what the Optima was worth.
However, WFMY uncovered that after installing the replacement engine in the Kia, the dealership service department drove the car just five test miles. Considering the fire was just hours after the owner picked up the Optima from the dealership, maybe that wasn’t enough of a test drive for an engine replacement.
What do you think? Should the dealership have tested out the car more? And would you buy a Kia?
Image via WFMY News 2/YouTube