Court: "Vehicle Fire... Car Manufacturer Liability Possible Only If Cause Proven"

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[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Cho] A court ruling has stated that if the cause of a fire suddenly breaking out in a parked vehicle is unclear, the automobile manufacturer cannot be held liable for compensation.

On the 30th, according to the legal community, Judge Lee Hoigi of Civil Division 104 at the Seoul Central District Court ruled against the plaintiffs, including vehicle owner Mr. Lee, in a damage compensation lawsuit filed against Korea Toyota Motor Corporation. The court stated, "There is insufficient evidence to recognize that the fire occurred within the defendant company's exclusive control area, and there is no clear evidence," and "All claims by the plaintiffs are dismissed."

Earlier, in May 2018, Mr. Lee filed a damage compensation lawsuit amounting to approximately 172 million KRW, claiming that a fire broke out near the engine room due to a defect in a Toyota vehicle parked in the first-floor parking lot of his residence in Seocho-gu, Seoul, causing property and psychological damages to himself, his family, and neighbors. At the time of the incident, the National Forensic Service and others estimated the ignition point to be near the vehicle's engine room or front bumper area. The cause of the fire was not clearly identified.

Mr. Lee and others argued that the fire was caused by a defect in the fuse box inside the vehicle's engine room and the wiring beneath it. However, the court judged, "Based solely on the circumstances claimed by the plaintiff, it cannot be concluded that the short-circuit marks (broken traces) found in the wiring beneath the vehicle's fuse box were caused by the initial ignition arc (electric spark)," and "The possibility that an ignition source existed outside the vehicle cannot be completely ruled out."

This judgment by the court was based on precedent from the Supreme Court. In a 2004 ruling, the Supreme Court stated, "To hold a manufacturer liable for damages due to a product defect, the consumer must prove that the accident occurred within the manufacturer's exclusive control area." If the cause of the accident is not revealed, the manufacturer cannot be held liable for negligence, and the burden of proof for negligence lies with the victim.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.