Three months after a “traumatizing” vehicle fire, Jason Pelletier is still waiting for answers — and hoping for more compensation — from automaker Hyundai.
On June 9, during the morning commute to work, the school principal was driving on a busy highway, just north of Toronto, when his Santa Fe suddenly caught fire. He saw thick black smoke and flames billowing from the hood. He says the engine and brakes were no longer responsive.
“I’m trying to cross five lanes of traffic on the 401 in morning traffic,” Pelletier said. He says he initially struggled to open the door, but finally made it out of the vehicle.
“I got out and, 20 seconds later, there was an explosion,” he said. “The whole front end blew up.”
What Pelletier finds even more unsettling is that he had just taken his SUV to the dealership the day before. He had to replace a head gasket, a critical seal located between an engine’s block and cylinder head that maintains combustion pressure and prevents coolant and oil from mixing.
He says he noticed a burning smell shortly after leaving the downtown Toronto dealership, but wasn’t too worried because the service manager said it might be from residue after the service.
He later sent text messages to the service manager, asking whether he should be concerned about the light smoke coming out from the hood.
Santa Fe catches fire on busy highway
The next morning, on his way to work, a message popped up on his vehicle’s touchscreen, warning of a “potential condition” with the engine control system and recommending a “full system check.”
Pelletier sent a few more text messages — but the service manager did not reply before the engine burst into flames.
“They reached out and made sure I was alive essentially,” he said.
Hyundai Canada declined our request for an interview, but told CBC News in an emailed statement that safety is its “top priority.”
“The circumstances surrounding this matter are still under review and we cannot comment further at this time,” said Nitish Bissonauth, senior manager of corporate communications.
Joe Hakim, general manager of the dealership, stated in an email to Pelletier that Hycay Consulting Engineering had been commissioned to conduct a joint investigation with the insurance company to determine the cause of the fire.
Hyundai Canada did not respond to questions regarding other vehicle fires reported to the company or the preventive measures put in place in recent years.
Over the past decade — from Jan. 1, 2016 to Sept. 8, 2026 — Transport Canada received 1,140 reports of vehicle fires, across all makes and models. But it says there is no obligation to report these incidents to the ministry, so this number could be higher.
“Fires are about one in 2,500 cars in Canada,” according to Murray Thomson, a combustion specialist and professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Toronto
“If you add it up across all of Canada, you have 10,000 vehicle fires per year. That is significant.”
With 168 of the 1,140 reported fires, Hyundai accounted for roughly 15 per cent of incidents during this period. The Korean automaker ranks second, behind Ford. The ministry did not provide year-by-year data for each automaker.
A joint investigation by CBC Marketplace and Go Public, published in 2021, focused on seven cases involving Hyundai and Kia vehicles when engines had stalled or caught fire.
“If a car has recurring issues, that’s obviously a concern,” Murray said.
In 2023, Hyundai recalled more than 320,000 vehicles in Canada linked to a potential fault in the anti-lock braking system that could cause a fire. Pelletier’s Santa Fe was not affected by that recall but it was impacted by two others.
It was fitted with a Knock Sensor Detection System, which warns the driver if their engine is about to fail, in 2020 and, three years later, was fixed again because of a fire risk “even when the vehicle is stationary and the engine is switched off,” as Hyundai warned in its safety recall.
‘My car’s on fire’: Drivers fear for their safety as years-long recall rollout drags on
Thomson says automakers remain responsible for the safe operation throughout a vehicle’s lifetime, but admits that it can be difficult when cars change hands. “There could be a system to track ownership more clearly, to link the current owner to the manufacturer directly,” he said.
“That’s what the whole recall system is about. Transport Canada plays a role too, because it tracks, collects information, and sometimes requests recalls or identifies issues that the manufacturer should respond to.”
Transport Canada has conducted several investigations into parts and components of Hyundai vehicles, many of which have led to safety recalls. The federal ministry is currently investigating the trailer lighting module in 2019 to 2023 Santa Fe models, saying two reported fires may be linked to that part.
“In the majority of vehicle fires, the damage caused is significant, making it difficult to determine the exact origin and cause of the fire,” the ministry stated in an email to Radio-Canada, adding that vehicle fires can result from various factors, such as inadequate maintenance, improper repairs or manufacturing defects. Arson is also included in its figures.
“Transport Canada does not have data that would allow it to reliably assign a specific percentage to the various potential causes of vehicle fires.”
Pelletier’s insurer paid him nearly $22,000 — the estimated value of the vehicle before the fire — on top of the cost of a rental car for one month.
But according to his own estimates, he has lost more than $5,000 worth of personal belongings, including AirPods, pairs of glasses, sportswear and accessories for his dogs.
That’s not to mention the many drag outfits, accessories and make up products that were in his SUV when it burned. The fire happened during Pride Month, a particularly busy time of year for his alter ego, Jezebel Bardot.
“I’m not trying to become a millionaire out of this. I just don’t want to be worse off than I was when I handed them the keys on Monday June 8th to have my car repaired,” he said.
Three months later, the Toronto resident is astounded that his Santa Fe, currently stored in distant Oshawa, is still under forensic investigation. He wonders whether yet another recall could have prevented this ordeal.
“I’m certainly hoping that they’re not knowingly gambling with people’s lives.”
In the meantime, he has decided to buy a new SUV — opting for a different brand. “I don’t think you could pay me to drive a Hyundai at this point. And it’s too bad from a guy who was a longtime fan.”
