— A Kia Rio crash and fire in West Virginia has led to a lawsuit alleging the vehicle owner was never notified about a dangerous recall.
The 2017 Kia Rio LX owner suffered severe injuries while driving, allegedly due to the hydraulic electronic control unit (HECU).
Kia recalled about 2 million vehicles in September 2023 because the brake hydraulic electronic control units could suffer short circuits and cause fires. Kia said a fire could occur while driving or even when the vehicle was parked and shut off.
Kia expected to mail recall letters in the middle of November 2023 so dealers could replace the control unit fuses.
West Virginia plaintiff Rebecca L. Williams had a dealer appointment in November 2025, the same day her Kia caught fire. She complains the dealer never told her about the HECU recall or the dangers involved. The plaintiff says she was driving to the Kia dealer when the fire occurred.
The plaintiff was followed by her mother so the plaintiff would have a ride home. Williams says she tried to brake but the brakes failed as smoke flowed from the vehicle. The vehicle crashed into an embankment on the left side of the road which caused the fire to spread to the plaintiff.
The lawsuit says the plaintiff was awake but trapped when her legs caught fire. Her mother tried to get her out of the vehicle but failed, as did other people who tried to remove her from the burning Kia. Finally someone was able to break the rear window and pull the plaintiff to safety.
She was later flown to a burn unit where she underwent "multiple debridement and skin graft surgeries on her legs due to the severe nature of her burn injuries."
According to the Kia lawsuit, the plaintiff is still recovering and receiving treatment.
According to the plaintiff, she took her vehicle to the same Kia dealership nine times but was never told about the HECU recall. She has also sued that dealership, while Kia is accused of not sending the plaintiff notice of the HECU recall.
The lawsuit claims the vehicle was defective from the time it was first sold due to the HECU and firewall.
The Kia HECU lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia: Rebecca L. Williams v. Kia Corporation, et al.
