NHTSA complaint #11701105

Owner complaint summary

The failure appears to have originated in the passenger side engine compartment, but the exact component or system (fuel, electrical, or other) is unknown. The vehicle is a total loss from the fire but should be available for inspection at the tow or storage facility. Our safety and the safety of others were put at risk because the vehicle caught fire suddenly while driving with traffic on a public road; my wife was driving, I was in the passenger seat, and our dog was in the back, and if we had not noticed the smoke and pulled over, the fire could have led to loss of control, injury, or a larger fire. The problem has not been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center because the vehicle is completely burned and not drivable. As of now, the vehicle has not yet been inspected by the manufacturer; a claim has been initiated with my insurance company, and I expect their representatives and/or a fire investigator to inspect the vehicle, and local emergency services responded to the scene. There were no warning lamps or messages on the dashboard prior to the fire; the only prior symptom was an abnormal odor from the exhaust that smelled like mothballs or ammonia, first noticed immediately after starting the vehicle at the beginning of the trip on November 23, 2025, followed later in the trip by smoke and then the fire.