Uber knowingly rented cars that were at risk of catching fire to its drivers in Singapore, a report says

Honda recalled its Vezel SUV last year because it could catch fire - but Uber continued to lease the cars to drivers in Singapore.

The news comes from a Wall Street Journal report that says internal emails show Uber managers in Singapore were aware of the April 2016 recall but continued to rent the cars to drivers without fixing the defect. It's unclear whether Uber executives in San Francisco or then-CEO Travis Kalanick knew of the recall.

Uber did not immediately return Business Insider's request for comment.

An Uber driver's Vezel did catch fire on the job after the ride-hailing giant ignored the recall, according to the report. The incident prompted managers in Singapore to add new safety measures and address the issue after the fact. Uber bought the cars from a dozen auto importers and not directly from Honda, the report noted.

The fire is one of many crises that unfolded while Kalanick held the to job at Uber.

Uber has been under the spotlight since Susan Fowler, a former Uber engineer, published a blog post in February where she alleged that she had experienced gender discrimination at the company and was propositioned for sex by a male manager. Other, subsequent reports described a litany problems plaguing Uber's work culture.

Five of Uber's major investors demanded Kalanick resign in June following the string of scandals. Kalanick's resignation was the culmination of a four-month investigation that resulted in 20 firings and 215 complaints about Uber's work environment.

Kalanick has reportedly been angling to return to Uber, but general counsel Salle Yoo told employees the ride-hailing giant is still looking outward, BuzzFeed News reported. A decision on Uber's next CEO is expected in September.

Read the full WSJ report here.

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