Uber is dealing with another scandal, this time for leasing faulty cars to drivers in Singapore– one of which ignited. The company purchased more than 1,000 Honda Vezel crossovers, with the objective of leasing them to drivers, The Wall Street Journal reports. However, the automobiles were acquired after Honda issued a recall for an electrical part that might overheat and catch fire.
And last January, that’s precisely what took place to one of the Vezels. The driver was apparently unhurt, however parts of the dashboard and windshield melted from the heat.
The Vezel is offered as the Honda HR-V in the United States. As per the Journal, Uber officials in Singapore knew the recall prior the purchase of the cars, however did not instantly resolve it. Uber’s U.S. headquarters only became aware of the recall 3 days after the fire, as per the documents evaluated by the Journal.
In a statement to the Journal, Uber stated after the fire, “We took swift action to repair the problem, in close coordination with Singapore’s Land Transport Authority as well as technical experts. However we acknowledge we might have done more– and we have done so.”
Uber has actually dealt with a number of complaints and scandals over the last few months, consisting of sexual-harassment scandal and investigation that caused the ouster of CEO Travis Kalanick. It also deals with stiffer competition abroad, including in Asia, where Chinese competitor Didi Chuxing is now backing Grab, which counts Singapore amongst its major markets.
