His Hyundai Santa Fe burst into flames on busy highway after repairs at
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.
On June 9, Jason Pelletier was driving his Santa Fe on Highway 401, just north of Toronto, when flames and smoke suddenly emerged from the hood. The driver managed to escape the vehicle before it exploded.
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.
Safety is ‘top priority’
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…
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