Uber Leased More Than 1,000 Defective Hondas to Drivers In Singapore

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Stephen EdelsteinView stephen edelstein's Articles

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Uber faces yet another scandal, this time for leasing defective cars to drivers in Singapore—one of which caught fire. The ride-sharing company bought over 1,000 Honda Vezel crossovers, with the intention of leasing them to drivers, The Wall Street Journal reports. However, the cars were purchased after Honda issued a recall for an electrical component that could overheat and catch fire.

And last January, that's exactly what happened to one of the Vezels. The driver was reportedly unhurt, but parts of the dashboard and windshield melted from the heat.

The Vezel is sold as the Honda HR-V in the United States. According to the Journal, Uber officials in Singapore were aware of the recall before they purchased the vehicles, but did not immediately address it. Uber's U.S. headquarters only became aware of the recall three days after the fire, according to documents reviewed by the Journal.

In a statement to the Journal, Uber said that after the fire, "We took swift action to fix the problem, in close coordination with Singapore's Land Transport Authority as well as technical experts. But we acknowledge we could have done more--and we have done so."

Uber has faced numerous complaints and scandals over the past few months, including a sexual-harassment scandal and investigation that led to the ouster of CEO Travis Kalanick. It also faces stiffer competition abroad, including in Asia, where Chinese rival Didi Chuxing is now backing Grab, which counts Singapore among its 65 markets.