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Car Recalls: Why Your Car Bursting Into Flames Without Warning Is Not Caused By Your ‘Village Witches’
Car recalls for engine fires risk that may cause car to without warning : Why your car bursting into flames is not caused by your ‘Village Witches’.
Some of these used cars we use in Nigeria might have fallen amongst those they needed urgent repairs.
Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Hyundai, Kia, these are some of automakers that have recalled their cars around the world in recent years for engine fires risk that may cause car to without warning.
Both Kia and Hyundai alone have recalled over six million vehicles worldwide since 2015 due to complaints concerning 3,100 fires, 103 injuries, and one death.
Investigation launched by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in 2019 resulted in the automakers being hit with a $210 million fine.
Resent recalls by Kia and Hyundai stems from the vehicles’ hydraulic electronic brake control unit. And to be on the safe side, Kia and Hyundai have gone to advise owners of the affected models to park their cars away from garage amid fears they could catch fire even when switched off.
But while automakers can easily pass informations to affected owners through e-mails in countries like UK and US, telling them about the risk and the need for urgent repairs, the same cannot be said in Nigeria.
In addition to using mostly used cars and second hand vehicles that have been shipped from countries like US and Canada, automakers hardly recall new vehicles sold to the Nigerian market because owners hardly reports faults to the necessary authorities.
So what if your car falls among those been recalled for engine fires risk that may cause them to without warning?
When a suddenly burst into flames without warning on the Nigerian road, we sometimes attribute this unexplained happenings to be from our perceived enemies. We often fail or don’t even know that some of these used cars we use in Nigeria might have fallen amongst those they needed urgent repairs.
So what can we do to address this?
It’s advisable not to ignore dashboard warning signs, especially the check engine lights, that indicates engine malfunctions.
Again, proper vehicle maintenance, which includes inspecting the Oil and Coolant Levels, Air Filter, Tyre Pressure and Brake, will also go along way.
While the above may prevent sudden breakdown of vehicles as well as ‘electric fires’ in some cases, it’s also advisable to check online to see whether your car model, whether bought brand new or used, has been recalled for an urgent fix.
