Fox T-Bird/Cougar Forums

Some of you have already seen this on Facebook. I woke up to go to work this morning. There was a heavy frost on the car, so I went out and started it to let it run while I came back in to make my lunch for work. When I had done that I went back out and opened the driver's door and washiznit with a wall of smoke. I reached in and shut it off but could see flaming plastic dripping down from the passenger's side dash onto the floor. I closed the door, went back into the house, called 911, and got the dog on her leash to take her outside. The dog and I stood in the garage and watched it burn while waiting for the fire trucks.

Thankfully there was no damage to the house. The car was parked about 10 feet away. This was a miracle, because any other night it would have been parked right next to the house, but I'd moved it last night to plow the 6" of snow we got yesterday. As much as I hated that snow yesterday, it might just have saved my house...

The car is a total loss:

Sorry to see this Carmen. At least you or your family wasn't in it and the house was spared. Hopefully insurance will cover your loss.
Rick

I had been having intermittent problems with the car for a few weeks. I hadn't driven it at all in January, February and most of March because the weather's been so bad. When I finally did start driving it again the first day out it cut out on the highway and I could smell smoke. It only lasted a few seconds and the car started acting normally again. I suspected the alternator was seizing up (as it's known to do on Hyundais), but when I got home and checked the belt it didn't look burnt. The next day I brought it to the Hyundai dealer, but they couldn't find anything (I was not upset at this - as a mechanic I know intermittent problems are difficult to find). A few days later I drove it to work and parked it in employee parking, and another employee came in and told me he could smell smoke by my car. I went out to check, but couldn't smell anything. A few days after that I was driving home and it was a fair day (by our standards), so I opened the driver's window to enjoy the balmy 40 degree weather. When I got to a higher speed section of road I went to put the window up and it wouldn't go up. I tried to turn the heat on, and the heater fan wouldn't work. When I got home after a very chilly ride I smacked the driver's door a bit and the window went up. The fan wouldn't work no matter what. I shut the car off, went inside for supper. Later I came back out with the intention of looking for mouse nests in the heater box, since the car had sat so long. Didn't find anything, but what I did find was that the fan was now working. I called the dealership but it was too late to make an appointment. The car worked fine for a few days after that.

Last night on the way home the burning smell returned a few miles from home and stayed with the car all the way home. I looked the car over and couldn't see anything, and the car was working fine (all the accessories were working, etc). My intention was to bring the car to the dealership this morning and drop it off (the Hyundai dealership is right next door to the Honda dealership where I work). Unfortunately, as you can see in the posts above, I didn't quite get that far...

What were you saying about that car being boring??

True, it provided some entertainment this morning. I think I aged five years watching that thing burn so close to the house and waiting for the explosion (that thankfully never came). I still don't think my heart rate has returned to normal...

That sucks. But I guess of all the ways to have a car fire, that's the best way. Nobody inside, at home (not stranded somewhere), nothing else burned.

Looks like you have a security camera right above that car. You should save the video just in case, for insurance, etc.

Any idea what it was? The car was completely stock correct?

That sucks.  Did this start under the hood or dash?

The car was completely stock except some aftermarket HID headlights, and the front part of the engine compartment is relatively intact, so those won't be blamed. I don't know what caused it, but since it started over where the blower motor is at, and the blower motor has been acting up, I can only guess that was the cause. Might have been rodents, too, where the car had been parked for a while. I've seen many rodent infestations working on customer cars - little s love to chew on wiring.


It started under the dash. When I opened the door and saw smoke I reached in to turn it off, and as I did I could see burning plastic dripping from the dash on the passenger side.


The camera only catches the back end of the car (I already looked at the footage). The cars are usually parked further up the driveway, but the snow pile has forced me to park them a good 25 feet further down the driveway. Like I said, this could have been much worse - the car is usually parked right next to the house, and the truck in the further away spot. It was only because I had to plow yesterday that the car was parked further away - I moved it to plow the area it was parked, and didn't bother moving it back. And if it would have happened while driving to work, well... at least I'd have ended up on the news - I can only imagine the gridlock a burning car on the side of the notorious Magazine Hill would have caused, and it would have taken forever for the fire crew to arrive through that gridlock.

The only thing that sucks about having it happen at home is now I've got a burned car in my driveway, and Lord knows how long it'll be before they drag it away. The insurance adjuster hasn't even been to look at it yet. Apparently insurance adjusters are crazy busy due to the weather we've had this year - lots of snow, lots of cars in the woods. I even had a hard time getting a rental because they're all rented out (finally did find me a Corolla)

 rats :hick:

, a little too chilly for a BBQ..

Sucks, but as mentioned thankfully the car was the only casualty.

Reminds me...the last time i was at the salvage yard a few weeks ago, I saw a Dodge truck..newer one, probably 2008 or 2010 or so...there wasn't shiznit left of that crispy critter. There were naught but steel cords around the wheels, everything combustible was burnt away. Amazing how much of a vehicle is able to be burnt, once you see one that has been immolated.

 that sucks!  Glad your house is OK.  Darn Hyundai's...is it Focus ST time?  lol...

I saw this article about a 2013 Sonata that burned from the back seat suddenly- he quotes several others that had spontaneously-combusting Hyundais:

http://tomthorneejournal.blogspot.com/2014/01/2013-hyundai-sonata-destroyed-by-fire.html (http://"http://tomthorneejournal.blogspot.com/2014/01/2013-hyundai-sonata-destroyed-by-fire.html")

Just looking at google, there are quite a few articles out there about various Hyundai models just catching fire while going down the road! Scary...

Here's an '06, fire started under the hood, but the aftermath looks similar:

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2293584 (http://"http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2293584")

Another engine fire, looks like it was put out much sooner:

http://www.carcomplaints.com/Hyundai/Sonata/2011/engine/engine_caught_fire.shtml (http://"http://www.carcomplaints.com/Hyundai/Sonata/2011/engine/engine_caught_fire.shtml")

My wife's parents have a 2012 Sonata. It has around 60K miles on it. Still hasn't started on fire :flame:.

Perhaps it needs a new... ignition... module...

I empathize with ya.  I had a break-in in a mini-truck that I spent 2 years building (15 years ago).  To make matters worse, the thieves left the hot-wire that was running to the amps laying on the floor and it caught the interior on fire.  Total loss.

Glad you and the house were spared.  This is why we have insurance.

Geoff

Nope. Either a Mustang GT or a Challenger R/T Scat Pack. Probably the Mustang. Will be visiting some dealerships this weekend

I googled Sonata fires yesterday as well, and there was one that piqued my interest - it was a youtube video of a guy whose 2011 Sonata lost power on the highway and burned to the ground when he pulled over. This one was interesting to me because it sounds a lot like what happened to me when this trouble all started - the car started bogging really bad on the highway (almost like the engine died, but being a manual transmission it kept turning) and I could smell something burning, but the bogging stopped and the car recovered. This was what caused my original visit to the dealership. It didn't bog or lose power since, but the burning smell returned a few times, as well as the electrical problems I mentioned above. This fire did not start in the engine compartment, though - when I first noticed the fire it was inside. It spread out into the engine compartment while waiting for the fire dept.

Of course not - mine was 2011. Just wait a year :hick:

And that comment you made about my finding the Sonata boring? Let me tell you, boring has been redefined for me with the rental that was provided: A 2014 Corolla. I've often heard the term "Rental fleet special" used to describe Corollas, and now I know exactly what they mean. My toaster has more soul...

If you go Challenger it must have shaker hood. It is the law when buying a Challenger with a HEMI.

Or you could buy a Fox Thundercat ;).

Do a 2007/8+ Roush 427 mustang.  You can find them $24-30k, and they drool awesomeness.  New enough to have all the creature comforts and style, and old enough to me cough- "affordable."

Geoff

I wouldn't recomment the Hyundai on toast with rice. It's a little spicy and will burn your innards.

Sorry. Too soon?



Personally, I think you should experience a Lightning...lots of nice ones out there. They haul ass, and whatever else will fit in the bed.

I wish my Hyundai would catch on fire. Hyundai's are junk. I hope they get hit with a class action lawsuit and go bankrupt. My Genesis has been nothing but problems.

Now THAT sounds like a plan.  As much as I am a Ford guy, I gotta say I'd probably go Challenger.  The '15 model Mustangs are cool and all, but those Challengers are just so darn good looking/sounding.

I was just looking at Challengers. The shaker hood scoop is a $4000 option on the Scat Pack. The Challenger itself with the Scat Pack was a $53,000 car. SRT392 version was $58k.  that. I liked the Mustang more anyway.
I really can't complain about this car (at least until the fire). It hasn't had any problems at all until recently. Boring, but reliable. I wouldn't be surprised if a rodent chewed wires and caused the fire just because the car sat for a few months and it's been a really, really bad winter. It's been in the news that birds are starving and people are finding rodents in places they usually aren't found, and I've seen a bunch of Hondas with rodent damage. They seem to have a taste for the outside temp. sensor harness on Civics and the windshield washer hoses on CR-V's, as I've done a bunch of those.


Was just out looking, and I think it's gonna be Mustang. The Challenger is nice (they had a Hellcat - $70k, and already sold) but it's just too expensive and too big. I've got the Pimp Sled for when I want big.