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Ok so I’ve seen about three car fires within a year’s time all happened on the highway.
Two were Acuras and one was a Honda accord. It got me wondering if there’s some kind of design flaw going on or just mere coincidence.
What would generally cause a car to catch on fire, particularly in these cases on the highway?
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Honda and acura are pretty much the same car anyways.
So here are a few causes.
First thing that comes to mind when you mention honda and acura is if a PS hose was leaking fluid onto a hot exhaust part. Not sure how common Honda PS leaks are but my 97 Acura CL with 3.0 had a hose leak. Replacing it was a horrid job, but getting back to the point –
When there is a fluid leak, it tends to go everywhere since there is a ton of wind blowing around at highway speeds.Not likely but maybe if someone flung a cigarette out the window and it found it’s way to the back seat.
Some cars have wiring problems that can cause a fire. Sometimes insulation rots away or maybe someone was careless in remounting the wires if they repaired something else under the hood.
If the cars belonged to some kid who didn’t know what they were doing when “upgrading” for performance, only God knows what they ended up doing.
Fuel system leaks can obviously cause fire.
OH HERE IS A FUN ONE –
In some engines, if the fuel pressure regulator leaks internally, it can let a ton of gas into the intake. I had that problem with some 94 grand prix with the 3.4 DOHC, what a POS engine. :angry:
EDIT – The car never caught fire but one night I went out to start it and heard what sounded like water pouring on the ground. It was gasoline. I am lucky the car never blew up.Other than fluid or fuel leaks fires can also be caused by aged electrical components and high current passing through them. Current (meaning the amount of electricity) generates heat and with aged components resistance in the circuit can increase. Increased resistance also means more heat.
Ignition switches can be prone to this if the fire has started on the interior of the car. Ford has many cars under a recall for a fire hazard due to a cruise control switch. This switch can catch on fire even with the vehicle parked and not in use.
In my area 2 homes were burnt by Ford pickups that caught on fire in the garages. One burnt the garage off of the home and the other not only burnt the garage but took out the kitchen also. Luckily everyone escaped the homes without injury and the fire department saved both homes from total destruction.
Regarding the Acuras and Honda you saw on the highway, if the fire started with the interior I would suspect the ignition switches. Some Honda vehicles are under a recall for ignition switches anyway.
You know, now that cars can park themselves, apply the brakes autonomously, and perform dozens of other seemingly self-aware procedures, I have to wonder why automatic under-hood and in-cabin fire suppression systems never became standard equipment on all vehicles. I suppose it would be a tacit admission by the manufacturers that it’s possible for their vehicles to ignite because of design flaws.
Personally, I’d rather have a vehicle that can quench itself rather than park itself.
I have a letter from Ford Motor Company in my possession right now about a recall on the cruise control switch on one of my cars. This is the same switch that caused the Ford pickups to catch on fire while parked and which partially burned the homes they were attached to.
The letter states that until the recall has been performed I should not park my car “near my home, trees, or other flammable structures”.
That inspires a lot of confidence.
It is bad enough when you have a known fluid leak and wondering if it is truly a fire hazard.
It would be a complete nightmare if your ride was parked in the garage and just decided to burst into flames like in the middle of the night.
Kitchen is clean, kids got their asses beat so they finally go to bed after telling them the umpteenth time, house is locked up, time for mom and dad to “get their motors running” but what is that burning smell?
I mean crap, talk about a reason to NEVER want to buy from that car company again.I imagine Ford fanatics long for the days when the biggest worry was the transmission eating it’s own gear train alive.
Scary about the fluid leak. My car currently leaks a little from both main seals and it collects on the oil pan.
Been that way for a year, mechanic said to worry when it starts pouring out more than a couple drips a day
I see car fires when people hit stuff. Hit a deer on the highway and a fuel line pops. Sprays high pressure fuel onto the exhaust manifold and you can guess what happens next.
Most of the time it’s either fuel leaks or electrical shorts. Mostly electrical shorts. Enough draw to make heat, not enough to blow a fuse, so it just gets hotter, and hotter, and hotter, catches the plastic insulation on fire, the fire follows the harness through the car, which will no doubt run under a fuel line at some point. Then it really gets cooking. As far as on the highway, a small fuel leak gets on the very hot cat or any part of the exhaust, it has the potential to ignite.
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