Question Period Note: Vehicle Fires

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/hyundai-kia-engine-failure-recalls-1.5382373

• Safety is Transport Canada’s top priority, including strengthening road safety for drivers, passengers and all road users.
• With respect to engine fires, Transport Canada records and investigates complaints to determine whether a safety defect exists. These investigations involve vehicle inspections, collaboration with local authorities, analysis of engine parts, and discussions with manufacturers. For example:
o In September 2018, Transport Canada opened an investigation with respect to Kia and Hyundai engine fires. As a result of the department’s investigation, in March 2019, Kia and Hyundai issued a number of recall notices in Canada.
o In October 2019, Transport Canada opened an investigation into reports of fires affecting GMC Sierra and Yukon vehicles. This investigation is still ongoing, and involves vehicle inspections, and exchanging information with manufacturers and with the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
• Transport Canada monitors recall completion rates. Manufacturers are required to provide updates to Transport Canada on these recall completion rates, on a quarterly basis.
• Manufacturers are required to ensure that vehicles sold in Canada meet Canadian safety standards, including safety requirements for engines. Transport Canada performs testing to confirm that these standards are met.
• I would like to encourage vehicle owners and drivers to contact Transport Canada if they suspect a safety defect issue. This will help Transport Canada to investigate possible vehicle safety defects, and ultimately protect the safety of drivers and road users.

• Under the Motor Vehicle Safety Act (the Act), manufacturers are required to notify Transport Canada (TC) when they are aware of a defect in the design or construction of a vehicle that may endanger the safety of persons. Pursuant to the Act, TC has the authority to:
- Require a manufactuer to issue a notice-of-defect, notice-of-non-compliance, and order a recall;
- Publish notices and recalls on the Department’s website;
- Share this information with provinces/territories.
• On March 1, 2018, Bill S-2, Strengthening the Motor Vehicle Safety Act for Canadians received Royal Assent. Section 5(2) provides the Minister of Transport with the authority to obtain prescribed information from manufacturers. This authority will come into force, once regulations have been developed to specify new information requirements. Stakeholder engagement is underway to help shape the development of new information requirements under this authority (e.g. creation of an early warning system; reports of vehicle fires), with formal regulatory consultations scheduled to begin in February 2020.
• For public and vehicle owner awareness, TC publishes notices of defect in both official languages on its website. If any vehicle owner or driver experiences what they believe may be a safety issue with their vehicle, they are encouraged to report it to TC’s Defect Complaints and Recalls Hotline at 1-800-333-0510 or submit a defect complaint form online at: www.tc.gc.ca/recalls.
• TC records and investigates reports of potential safety defects to identify possible causes. The information is then relayed to the manufacturer to help identify trends or commonalities that could determine whether safety defect exists, and inform potential regulatory and non-regulatory action to improve road safety.
• Since 2017, the department has received approximately 311 reports of vehicle fires (see table below). It should be noted that not all vehicle fires stem from safety defects. Vehicle fires can also be caused by arson, collisions, wildlife, or poor maintenance.
• In response to complaints/reports, TC undertakes investigations, which involves reviewing complaints, discussions with manufacturers, and analysis of parts. It also involves documenting real world events, communicating with vehicle manufacturers and exchanging information with the US National Highway Traffic Administration.
• For example, as a result of TC’s investigation into reports of Kia and Hyundai fires, in March 2019, both manufacturers issued recall notices for vehicles models equipped with a specific engine type known as “Theta-II”. The recalls are as follows:
• Hyundai:
(Recall # 2019-130)
2011-2018 Sonata
2013-2018 Santa Fe Sport
2011-2015 Tucson
• Kia:
(Recall #2019-153 and #2019-143)
2011-18 Optima
2012-18 Sorento
2011-18 Sportage
• In October 2019, TC also opened investigations as a result of reports of fires affecting GMC vehicles (2018 GMC Sierra and 2015 GMC Yukon). These investigations are still ongoing - the cause has not yet been determined.
• With respect to the CBC media coverage of the fire affecting the 2017 Mercedes C 43 vehicle, the fire occurred in April 2019 while the vehicle was parked. The vehicle was completely destroyed, and the cause is unknown. There have been no fires reported for similar vehicles.
• Information about recalls can be found on Transport Canada’s website at: www.tc.gc.ca/recalls.
• The number of vehicle fires reported to TC per manufacturer from 2017 to December 2, 2019:

2017
ALEXANDER DENNIS: 3
ARCTIC CAT INC: 2
BLUE BIRD: 1
BMW: 4
BRP: 10
CHRYSLER: 8
FORD: 11
FREIGHTLINER: 1
GM: 6
HONDA: 3
HYUNDAI: 7
KAWASAKI: 1
LAND ROVER: 1
MERCEDES-BENZ: 5
NISSAN: 5
POLARIS: 1
POWERMAX: 1
PREVOST CAR: 1
SUBARU: 1
TESLA: 1
TOYOTA: 3
VOLKSWAGEN: 7
Total in 2017: 83

2018
BLUE BIRD: 2
BMW: 16
BRP: 6
CHRYSLER: 12
DAIMLER TRUCKS: 1
FORD: 22
GM: 6
HONDA: 4
HYUNDAI: 11
INTERNATIONAL: 1
KENWORTH: 1
KIA: 1
MERCEDES-BENZ: 5
MITSUBISHI: 1
NISSAN: 5
PETERBILT: 1
SUBARU: 2
SUZUKI: 1
TOYOTA: 2
VOLKSWAGEN: 2
Total in 2018: 102

2019 (as of 2019-12-02)
ALEXANDER DENNIS: 1
ARCTIC CAT INC: 4
BLUE BIRD: 1
BMW: 3
BRP: 5
CHRYSLER: 18
FORD: 9
FREIGHTLINER: 1
GM: 13
HONDA: 1
HYUNDAI: 33
KIA: 16
MERCEDES-BENZ: 4
MITSUBISHI: 1
NISSAN: 4
SUBARU: 1
TESLA: 1
TOYOTA: 4
VOLKSWAGEN: 3
VOLVO: 1
VOLVO TRUCKS: 2
Total in 2019 (as of 2019-12-02): 126

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