car fire - should we be worried?

[joatmon]

A couple of weeks ago I found online a news story about "A Pontiac Vibe ... burst into flames as she was waiting at a traffic signal " ( http://forums.genvibe.com/zerothread?id=25809 )Yesterday I tracked down an email address for the applicable police department and told them that it was the first Vibe fire I had heard about and asked if a cause had been determined for the car fire. (I figured I'd be blown off as some random crazy from the internet, but it was worth a try) To my surprise, I got this answer back promptly:Quote »At the present time we have had a total of 4 Vibes catch fire. The battery light comes on and then the car burst into flame. Arson investigators found an electrical short probably started a fire in the injectors. Once the plastic injectors burned they sprayed fuel all over the engine compartment.Has anyone heard of any other Vibe car fires?

[ragingfish]

That's scary!I'd say forward that to pontiac customer service and ask for their feedback, but you'll just get some canned answer telling you to see your dealer for it.

[DopeVibeGT]

Were they all base or GT's or both?

[CAN-AWD-VIBE]

four cars in one town... this is nearly an epidemic.i have not seen or heard of any Vibes or Matrix's bursting into flames and if there is 4 in one town then expect more to become torches all over the states and canada.this, unlike poor fuel mileage or clutches that wear quickly will constitute as a recall if it really is that big of a problem.

[scherry2]

GM would call that a thermal event. not a fire. the Oshawa truck plant had a thermal event when some wires got pinched during assembly last week.

[joatmon]

Quote, originally posted by DopeVibeGT »Were they all base or GT's or both? don't know but I'll ask. I looked though the complaints filed at NHTSA, no Vibe fires have been reported to them yet.Looking on line for reports of car fires that might be Vibes, it is surprising to see that car fires are not really all that uncommon. http://www.thepittsburghchanne....html has a video of some ambulance crew chasing down a lady to tell her her car was on fire while she was oblivious, talking on the cell phone At the end of the video they say it was an Isuzu rodeo.Apparently Pontiac has car fire experience with the Grand Pix. http://www.consumeraffairs.com....html No comment about Pontiac's response to the GP owner who complained about his car fire "Pontiac laughed when I called," he said. "The GM insurance underwriter called me an idiot and hung up." The bottom of that web page offers advice if you find your car on fire:Quote »As the many complaints demonstrate, cars can and do catch fire, both when they're running and when they're parked. Here's what you can do if it happens to you:• If possible, pull to the side of the road and turn off the ignition. Pulling to the side makes it possible for everyone to get out of the vehicle safely. Turn off the ignition to shut off the electric current and stop the flow of gasoline. Put the vehicle in park or set the emergency brake; you don't want the vehicle to move after your leave it.• Do not open the hood because more oxygen can make the fire larger and expose you to a sudden flare-up.• Make sure everyone gets out of the vehicle, but do not waste time and increase your risk by removing personal belongings. Move at least 100 feet away. Keep traffic in mind and keep everyone together. There is not only danger from the fire, but also from other vehicles moving in the area.• Call 911. Firefighters are trained to combat vehicle fires. Never return to the vehicle to attempt to fight the fire yourself. Vehicle fires can be tricky, even for firefighters. Pressurized components can burst or explode, spilling or spraying highly flammable liquids, or eject projectiles than can cause serious injuries.

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[SeattleJeremy]

I've read that Grand Prix GTP's commonly catch fire because they're fuel lines go over and around the Supercharger. When people change fuel lines or replace the supercharger, the lines are not installed correctly, start to leak, and the leaked fuel catches fire. There are lots of reports of this happening on http://www.clubgp.com/

[ashleymc_38]

Damn, that is pretty scary. I know that when they recall cars sometimes that it only pertains to a certain year, were any of these Vibe's the same year?

[Mavrik]

did they both have audio stuff connected to the battery or autostarts wired in? I'm curious to know if the cars were stock or modified before I even begin to get worried.

[scherry2]

Quote, originally posted by Mavrik »did they both have audio stuff connected to the battery or autostarts wired in? I'm curious to know if the cars were stock or modified before I even begin to get worried.well she was 64 years old.

[Mavrik]

Quote, originally posted by scherry2 »well she was 64 years old. So likely an autostart? what about the other 4?

[Katscan]

Quote, originally posted by Mavrik »did they both have audio stuff connected to the battery or autostarts wired in? I'm curious to know if the cars were stock or modified before I even begin to get worried.This is the first I have seen about this and them having 4 in one city? Either its an false statement or something is afoul and Im not talking about Pontiac Quality. Things that havent been answered are;1. Where they all the same year and or model?2. Were they all recently serviced?(or not at all)3. Were they modified in any way from Factory?4. What caused the fire and how did it get to that state?Im not worried about my Vibe catching fire, it would seem like this was a isolated and freak accident. Im sure if GM were getting frequent reports of cars catching fire from just driving they would be doing something to take care of it(Recall).Im not worried.

[engineertwin2]

I'm not too worried about a vehicle fire. Several people on here carry a fire extinguisher in the car with them and I think that is a great idea. Additionally, if you are that concerned, you could always try this: https://www.ansul.com/en/Produ...d.asp

[joatmon]

Here's a pic of the toasted engineclick on the pic to see a bigger one I adjusted brightness/contrast to help see though the smoke/steam.I can't tell if it is (was) a 1zz or 2zz

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[millster]

Yikes! That's nasty looking!I'd say 1zz, here. I'm basing that on what appears to be a melted composite intake manifold.

[ColonelPanic]

Hmm, did GM dump NUMMI for building these vehicles and contract Ford out for it instead? That many in a town is just odd... Could they have been serviced by the same dealer? Maybe they're jacking something up... Aside from that or bad luck, the only other explanation I could possibly think of is that all of these cars were made around the same time and have the same batch of bad parts or the same issues present at the factory that contributed to this, i.e. something not installed correctly... But how many cars built cose together will end up in the same area? I hope for everyone's sake that these are just freak incidents... If they aren't, then GM/Toyota/NUMMI need to determine what's going on and issue a recall pronto!

[ColonelPanic]

Could be something as simple as wires getting the insulation rubbed off of them... Who knows, maybe they took the engine cover off and didn't get it put back on right... I don't remember how much of a chance there would be for the injector or coil wires to rub on anything, but who knows..

[BlueCrush]

I have mine ready for action!

[BlueCrush]

Quote, originally posted by silverawd26 »Have you timed yourself driving, stopping, getting unbuckled, opening the door, opening the hatch and getting that out and opening the hood?11.135 seconds J/K - I have not timed it. Nor will I. But if I am able to use it to help someone else if not for my own car, then it will be well worth it. I have driven by a couple car fires in my years of driving and I know I could have saved at least one of them, that had just started when I saw it, if I had this back then. It is just a peace of mind item to have along with my Vibe first aid kit.

[jimincalif]

I do like my Vibe, but frankly I don't know that I'd want it back after a fire. Just thinkin' of all the stuff that would have to be repaired, and the difficulty of actually getting it done right, probably better off letting it burn and calling the insurance company.

[Tubaryan12]

Quote, originally posted by jimincalif »I do like my Vibe, but frankly I don't know that I'd want it back after a fire. Just thinkin' of all the stuff that would have to be repaired, and the difficulty of actually getting it done right, probably better off letting it burn and calling the insurance company.Ditto!

[zionzr2]

Quote, originally posted by jimincalif »I do like my Vibe, but frankly I don't know that I'd want it back after a fire. Just thinkin' of all the stuff that would have to be repaired, and the difficulty of actually getting it done right, probably better off letting it burn and calling the insurance company.as long as the insurance money is used to buy a new Vibe right!!

[Katscan]

Quote, originally posted by silverawd26 »Have you timed yourself driving, stopping, getting unbuckled, opening the door, opening the hatch and getting that out and opening the hood?From what several sources told me, opening the hood when your engine is on fire is a very, very bad idea. If you are going to use a fire extinguisher then spray it through the grille area.

[ColonelPanic]

Yeah, fire! fire!!! Let that piece of crap burn man! That's what insurance is for. I sure wouldn't want my car back after it burned up! Although I actually bought my first car ('82 Monte) and fixed it up after a small blaze thanks to a leaky valve cover. It just needed a couple hundred bucks in junkyard parts - fan shroud, coolant jug, distributor, cruise thingy, vacuum hoses, hood insulation, wiring harnesses, etc. We managed to get that sucker up and running fine, but it wasn't that complex. Something modern, forget about fixing it.

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[mcgusto82]

i also keep a firebottle in my car. i kept it in the glove box in the vibe. Not really to put out a fire , but in case one of us could be stuck in the car asfter an accident. it would be accesable from the driver's seat. i've read soo many stories of people burning alive because they were stuck inside a car. unfortunately the fire bottle doesn't fit in the glovebox ofthe Murano.

[sk8r78]

I watch the auctions around here Looking for a front damaged GT or XRS for the rear disc setup and this is what I found.http://photos.vemark.com/snaps...2.JPG. I have yet to see a Matrix experience a carbeque and will also say this is the only Vibe, but it struck me odd that I found it after reading this thread