20160414 Korea Mercedes-Benz sedans catch fire in Korea
Korea Apr 14 2016 “Automobile & Railway”
Dead : dead 0 or unknown Burnout : 0 or unknown Injured : injured 0 or unknown
Mercedes-Benz sedans catch fire in Korea
Updated: 2016-04-14 16:16
A Mercedes-Benz sedan caught fire while being driven in southern Seoul, Tuesday, the latest in a series of incidents that have raised safety concerns involving vehicles from the German automaker.
Mercedes-Benz Korea (MBK) has remained mum on the incidents, declining to comment on possible causes and preventive measures.
Over the past year, dozens of cars manufactured by Mercedes and other German brands have caught fire, particularly during last winter, because of overheating engines among other causes, according to industry officials.
According to the police and fire department, a Mercedes-Benz CLS55 AMG sedan manufactured in 2006 became engulfed in flames in Seoul’s Gangdong district at about 6:30 p.m. Tuesday.
As soon as the fire broke out, the driver pulled over to the side of the road and exited the vehicle. Firefighters were dispatched to the scene to extinguish the burning car. The cause is unknown.
On April 8, a Mercedes-Benz two-door Smart compact car also caught fire on Mapo Bridge in Seoul at around 7:40 p.m. The driver pulled over to the side of the road after sensing an odd smell.
As soon as the vehicle came to a stop, the fire broke out, according to the driver. The fire was estimated to have caused about 15 million won ($13,000) in damage.
On March 19, a Mercedes-Benz 350 sedan became engulfed in flame in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province, causing about 15 million won in damage.
On Feb. 28, police officers also received a call from the driver of a burning Mercedes vehicle in northern Seoul. Two days earlier, one of the German automaker’s E-class sedan caught fire in southern Seoul.
These series of incidents have further tarnished the image of Mercedes-Benz, which has run into trouble with many government agencies over its customer services, sales tactics, taxes and other issues.
MBK is facing a probe by the Fair Trade Commission for its initial decision not to refund part of the excise taxes to customers who bought its vehicles in January.
The company was referred to the prosecution by the transport and two other ministries for selling unregistered vehicles. The German auto brand has also been ordered to pay 50.1 billion won in back taxes by the authorities, the largest amount ever imposed on a foreign automaker.
In September last year, a man smashed up his own Mercedes-Benz sedan with a golf club in front of the automaker’s dealership in the southwestern city of Gwangju, expressing his frustration over the firm’s customer services.
Web Source: Korea Times
http://koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/biz/2016/04/602_202503.html