Problems with 2015 Kia Sportage ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

After heavy rain drove through large amount water slowly. once i got threw the water all of my dashboard lights went off for 6 mins, so i pulled over and checked the switches. they came on, but as drove the smell of wires burning was very heavy in the cabin, i had to open all windows until the smell cleared. there has been frequent news coverage on kia vehicles catching fire on the highways in georgia. also, reported that after required repair were done, these cars still caught fire. still no nationwide acknowledge of this serious problem by the manufacturer. i don't feel safe driving my kia. i have not any investigations by any agency.

The 2015 kia sportage was in the parking lot at the medical center where my wife had a doctor appointment. she was inside approximately 10-15 minutes when an announcement was made about a red kia in the parking lot. when she looked, it was her car & the engine compartment was engulfed in flames. the police and fire department were already on scene & the fire was extinguished. the car was a total loss.

Drove vehicle approx 10 minutes smelled a burning smell, thought it was the vehicle driving in next lane, about 5 minutes later while stopped at a red light light, i noticed the heavy smoke coming from engine, i exited vehicle and just 1-2 minutes engine was fully engulfed in flames.

Cpsc:i had a trailer hitch installed on my 2015 kia sportage., i was existing the castle rock motel in friendship, wi when an electrical fire erupted in the back of the car where my 1 year old grandson was strapped into the car seat. one of the hotel employees saw me struggle to get him out of the car seat and came to assist, at the same time daughter (who was also in the car with me) called the fire department. the hotel employee retrieved some tools and disconnected the battery. the fire department dismantled the back panel where the smoke was coming from and determined the root cause was the wiring harness "black box." they advised me to have a mechanic check the car before continuing to drive it. *bf updated 07/19/2017*js

Tl* the contact owns a 2015 kia sportage. while driving at an unknown speed, all the lights illuminated on the instrument panel. the vehicle lost power steering and braking ability. the odometer also failed to illuminate. the contact observed smoke under the hood and flames appeared. a police report was not filed and there were no injuries. the vehicle was towed to a dealer, but was not diagnosed. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 2,000. ....updated 10-27-15 *bf