Furious dad vows action after his Hyundai suddenly bursts into flames as brother-in-law and friends travelled on a quiet country road: ‘Luckily they managed to escape’
A furious dad has vowed to take action against Hyundai after his car burst into flames. Sumit Chugh, from Victoria, Australia, revealed how his brother-in-law was driving his Hyundai Tucson Active X near Lakes Entrance in eastern Victoria in October last year when he noticed smoke coming from its engine. The brother-in-law and some friends quickly got out of the car – which burst into flames ‘within seconds’. ‘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. ‘Luckily they managed to escape this … but how many lives have (been) put in danger?’
Mr Chugh said the car was ‘totally destroyed’ and added that 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. Along with another Hyundai owner, he is now calling for people to come forward for a class action.
Last year, law firm Bannister Law announced it would be looking into launching a potential claim against Hyundai after the recall of 93,000 of its popular Tucson models. The cars were sold in Australia between November 1, 2014 and November 30, 2020. However, they were recalled due to a risk of an engine compartment fire, even when the vehicle was turned off. The risk came because a circuit in the anti-lock brake system control module is constantly powered. This, combined with the unit aging, led to the possibility of moisture entering the module, creating a short-circuit and a risk of fire. The law firm is also investigating a potential claim against Kia Motors Australia over a safety recall involving the same fire risk.
After the incident, he was told by Hyundai to go through his insurance company. It offered to cover the claim, but could not find a cause for the fire. Mr Chugh asked Hyundai to investigate, as he was still under warranty and believed it was a manufacturing fault. However, Hyundai said it couldn’t find a fault and would not be replacing the car.
Bannister Law principal Charles Bannister said his firm would file proceedings in the coming weeks for people who 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. Daily Mail Australia has contacted Hyundai for comment.
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