Fire fear prompts 500 Kia car recall

More than 500 Kia cars in New Zealand are being recalled by manufacturers to fix a fault that could cause an engine fire.

Kia Motors New Zealand managing director Stuart Jamieson said a flexible fuel hose and the fuel distributor needed replacement in the 511 Rio sedan and hatchback cars.

The cars, with both manual and automatic transmissions, were manufactured between May 2000 and March this year.

Mr Jamieson said the flexible fuel hose which delivered fuel to the distributor could develop a crack at its point of entry, risking a fuel leak. "There is potential for a fire."

Notification of the fault, from the parent company in Korea, was "a bolt out of the blue", said Mr Jamieson. He said the recall was "a precautionary measure because of some reports of faults in other markets. We're not concerned."

Owners of affected Kia cars can take their vehicles to dealers for the fitting of replacement parts.

The Land Transport Safety Authority was notified of Kia Motors' intention to recall some of its cars on New Zealand roads.

Kia Motors yesterday sent letters to owners identifying their closest centre for repairs and urging them to have the work done as soon as possible.