The South Korean government has launched separate investigation into Ford Motor Co.’s sport utility vehicle (SUV) Explorer after the U.S carmaker came under U.S. probe amid safety concerns from complaints of passengers smelling exhaust fumes inside the car.

The probe by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport came after the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), an agency under the United States Department of Transportation, opened an investigation on July 1 over possible leakage of exhaust fumes and exposure to carbon monoxide.

An unnamed official from Korea’s transport ministry said on Thursday even without clear guidelines on exhaust fumes entering the inner compartment, the safety authority would demand recall on the SUVs if the smell can disturb driving and raise safety concerns.

The Korea Automobile Testing & Research Institute will study exhaust fume levels under regular driving condition as well as in full throttle such as climbing a steep hill and sharp slowdown.

According to U.S. media reports, the NHTSA has launched an investigation into passengers’ possible exposure to carbon monoxide from leakage of exhaust fumes in driving mode. The probe affects 2011-2015 Ford Explorer models.

The NHTSA sees that exhaust gas could enter the passenger compartment when the SUV picks up speed or when the air conditioning system is on internal circulation mode. The NHTSA has also received steady complaints from Explorer owners that they smell “exhaust in the vehicle” and feel they are “exposed to carbon monoxide.”

According to the integrated air quality index presented by Korea Environment Corporation, a carbon monoxide concentration level that measures in between 12 and 30 parts per million (PPM) indicates the air quality is in “bad” condition that can be harmful to the human body - for example, raise the risk of central nervous system disorder.

The transport ministry said that Ford Explorer owners in Korea have also constantly filed complaints since 2011 often by writing on the Ford online community. Some owners posted that they smelt something burning when driving on a highway and they had no choice but to pull over and rest as they suffered from severe headaches and car sickness. Some owners wrote that they couldn’t tell what kind of smell, but was so bad that they had no choice to keep the window open.

Ford Explorer is one of the popular SUVs among import vehicles in Korea. In the first six months of the year, 2,276 units of Ford Explorer 2.3 were sold in the country, ranking as the eighth best-selling import car. The SUV, which accounts for 40 percent of total Ford Korea sales, ranked No. 1 among import gasoline models.

By Chun Jung-hong and Chun Beom-joo

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