Recalled Kias – Exec Falls On His Sword

Thankfully, there are some important differences in the way some Asians handle dishonor. In times past, Japanese leaders committed a ritual disembowelment to atone for a mistake. In recent years some have committed suicide, but that practice seems to have mercifully faded away.

Kia Recalls

I’m not sure how many Toyota executives have stepped down over the massive recalls the world’s largest automaker has been experiencing over the past year, but one Kia executive has resigned in the face of far smaller recall numbers.

Chung Sung-eun, vice chairman of Kia Motors, resigned this month to show responsibility for recalls of the Kia Soul and all-new Kia Sorento. Reporting for USA Today on September 7, 2010, Chris Woodyard said that more than 100,000 Kia vehicles have been affected by a wiring problem that could result in fires. Some 35,000 of those vehicles are in the U.S.

Shared Destiny

Kia and Hyundai are now joined at the hip, comprising the combined Hyundai-Kia Automotive Group that is now the fourth largest automaker in the world. Hyundai doesn’t have a majority stake in Kia, but they exert enormous control over the company. That explains why Hyundai Motor’s chief executive Chung Mong-koo asked for Chung Sung-eun to resign. In Korea, the family name is mentioned first, but the two Chungs are not related.

Chung’s resignation underscores the sensitivity recalls are having on some automakers, particularly on those brands who cannot afford perceptions of poor quality. In recent years Hyundai has improved its quality sharply with Kia not too far behind.

Media Matters

So far, Kia has kept the recalls off of its media site, preferring to handle the recalls internally. That doesn’t mean affected vehicle owners won’t be contacted about the problem, but unlike Toyota Kia seems to want to handle the problem quickly and move on.

Every automaker has been on their toes lately to ensure that recalled vehicle problems are handled quickly, before they become an unwanted news item. That’s good news for consumers who sometimes have had to battle with automakers to force a recall.

Photo courtesy Kia Motors America Inc.