Hyundai, Kia Sued by Owners Claiming Engine Defect Caused Fires

Hyundai Motor Co. and Kia Motors Corp. were sued by U.S. drivers over an alleged defect that could cause certain engines to catch fire, adding pressure on the South Korean automakers being probed by U.S. authorities.

More than 350 consumer complaints were reported to the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration over non-collision fires in Hyundai and Kia vehicles as result of the automakers’ “concealment of the defect,” according to the class-action lawsuit filed on Dec. 14 in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California by law firm Hagens Berman.

The U.S. auto-safety regulator started probing the ...