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2018 Hybrid fire while parked and off

25K views 105 replies 30 participants last post by  seo68 
#1 ·
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Hi Everyone. New here.
It’s taken me over a month to post because I was was so traumatized. Ready to talk about this now and warn others. If this happened to you contact me so I can send info to my lawyer. I’m in Toronto.

Bought my 2018 hybrid Pacifica new.

It was off, not charging, and parked in a shopping plaza parking lot. I was loading my daughter in and we smelled smoke. I touched the ground by her feet. It was warm. I pulled up carpet and a blast of fire came up and hit my face. I moved and thankfully it just burnt my hat lashes and brows.

We got a fire extinguisher and when we returned the van was full of smoke and my front seat and ground was on fire. Fire trucks arrived and worked on it for 2 hours to make sure it was out.

We were in a plaza lot. If this was at home my house would have burnt to the ground. I don’t want to think what could have happened to me or my family.

I was in shock at first but now have ptsd. Insurance has not done anything yet because they are waiting on the dealership to do tests.
It has been 2 months and we do not have a rental or courtesy car. Chrysler also did not provide a tow under roadside assistance.. they said it was no covered when we call as our van was burning!!!!!

Tests are taking long because they needed “special gloves”... because it is volatile..yet they let us go into the van the next day to get our stuff. They were very rude when we went there because they were not happy the tow truck left it there at night. They told us to move it!!! It took almost 2 months to get the gloves and now they have it and they still cannot do tests because the emergency brake is on and they do not know how to disable it because it’s electronically controlled. They are waiting for direction from head office on how to do this. This was over a week ago. They say they are working on REPAIR costs to give insurance. How they think they can come up with a repair quote without getting the vehicle into their shop and do diagnostics is beyond me.
It causes me great anxiety thinking about getting back into any Pacifica (which I loved) let alone this particular one with the smell of smoke, that was drenched with water, that had the front seat ripped out, that exploded and where the floor that my daughters feet would hang over is charred and covered with battery acid.
If anyone out there has advice or can help.. we need it. I’m so disappointed in Chrysler.

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#5 ·
That sounds really scary. This is the fourth Pacifica Hybrid fire that has been reported on this forum. @icydog has been collecting information and has placed a report in his dropbox: Pachy Fires While Parked That should get you the user names of the other victims and you can send them private messages for more information. In the other three cases the cars were plugged in but charging should have finished.
 
#9 ·
Wow,.. sorry to hear this. Disappointed with the treatment your describing.

They always want a repair quote for the records even when its obviously a right off.. Hope you find what you need here.

Please dont feel like people are being dismissive of your experience when conversation beings about the risks.. Bad things happen and its natural for people to analyze how likely it can happen again to others.

Doesn't mean that bad is any less bad.
 
#11 ·
The whole process should be with your insurance and not they FCA . Any alternative transportation will be with whatever policy coverage you have . I’m glad everybody is okay but honestly things happen in anything we purchase . The small percentage ehyrids in these matters is quite small thou . No matter what you purchase , car, phone , appliance , house , etc has the potential to have same outcome . I’m assuming you have house insurance and auto insurance , it’s all based on probability and that’s why we buy insurance . Just be glad everybody is okay and let insurance handle the matter . As far as retaining a lawyer I’d say that kinda premature as I’d wait to see what insurance is going to do . Hiring a lawyer at this stage only makes their pockets deeper from you . Good luck
 
#16 ·
Confused , so you just assume that that vehicle is under warranty that it’s covered . I’m confused , if the update was preformed would the cases not be in the minority ? Was this vehicle subject to the recall/check/update . People still assume that driving a vehicle with a battery, gas tank, fuel lines, brake lines is impervious to a occurrence. Just because the light is red one shouldn’t assume the car will stop . Same people who point fingers bbq in their garage , store gas cans in garage or check smoke/ carbon dioxide detectors. Just be thankful nobody was injured as anything can be replaced and people can’t . Just saying .
 
#18 ·
Are you replying to me? I would assume that, yes, if I'm sitting in a parked car and it ignites itself, that constitutes a defect that would be covered under warranty. If it was a normal ICE car, I would still assume it would constitute a defect. It's sort of obvious, since catching fire is not part of a car's designed function. That just seems like the most likely scenario. If you think otherwise, I'm interested in your reasoning.
 
#20 ·
Another thing to keep in mind is that the OP joined this forum specifically to report the fire and for probably no other reason. It was the very first post made and for all we know it may also be the last. While I do sympathize with anyone who has to go through such an experience, we simply don’t have enough details to make a judgement on this. In my mind it would be quite a different situation with a member who has been around some time and made a number of posts to the forum. But when a person joins and immediately posts about a problem they are experiencing and they talk about hiring a lawyer, etc. you’ve gotta think they are wrapped up in this emotionally and may have an agenda. I’m not saying it’s wrong to post information like this, in fact it’s beneficial to us all but you have to take it in context.
 
#21 ·
Assumption is what sepeeTes fact from fiction . Just remember , anybody can obtain council/lawyer . Just remember whose pockets are deeper , yours of the manufacturers. It’s the facts that lead u to the occurrence that’s most relevant , the outcome is just consequences of the prior or previous doings . People who are trolls or join forums to pint fingers show zero effort or knowledge . If your van has a oil light on it do you wait till the light comes on to change the oil ? Fact vs fiction , anybody can say anything that they perceive is truth in their own mind . . All I know is that if FCA generates me a software update I get it done , down the road it may sway the pendulum of reliability in my favour .
 
#24 ·
@PacDave: "But when a person joins and immediately posts about a problem they are experiencing and they talk about hiring a lawyer, etc. you’ve gotta think they are wrapped up in this emotionally and may have an agenda." - 99.9% of vehicle owners don't join forums. OP was a mom shuttling her kids to and from their activities. Would you expect her to frequent a minivan forum? If your van, one of the most expensive objects you own, and one that you rely on to safely transport you and your kids, suddenly caught fire for seemingly no reason, how could you not be "wrapped up in this emotionally"? And then Chrysler completely ignores you for two months, just like they've done to everyone else who has had a fire. Would you not "have an agenda"?

@ScorpyMjolnir: "The location of this fire does not appear to be a lithium battery fire. There is too much of the vehicle left undamaged." - I agree that a battery fire would probably consume more of the vehicle, but the location of the fire is right on top of the battery pack. OP first saw flames in the floor between the driver's seat and the second-row seat behind it, which is right where one of the two battery packs is.
 
#29 ·
Really hate to say this and just glad everybody is all good but if I had a fire in the Pacifica I’d watch it burn to the ground , hence why I have insurance , and last thing I’d be doing is joining a forum if I was so traumatized . Agreed family comes first but it’s just a car and I’d be putting my energy into the insurance company as opposed to a forum , just saying . Would I get a fire extinguisher to put it out, **** no , your insurance company won’t be sending you a good job card and thanks . Purchase loss of use and write off liability insurance, if your agenda is to get a lawyer then I’m just saying that something isn’t right and the priorities are a tad backwards . One only retains lawyers when “ **** goes backwards “ , let your insurance company deal with FCA . Just get me in my rental and get on with it . If I also remember correctly, I stand corrected if I’m off , insurance company has so many days to compensate the primary insured who took out the policy on the aforementioned vehicle .
 
#31 ·
I don't think it's at all unusual to consult with a lawyer on something like this. It's a valuable item that for most people represents a very large purchase. Insurance companies and car companies have their interests well-represented. Why shouldn't the individual who's most greatly impacted, with largest proportion of skin in the game, have someone knowledgeable in the field represent them? It's the only way most people have anyone looking out for their interests and informing them of what all of their options are.

If I were in the OP's situation, I'd likely talk to an attorney who's practiced in product liability and insurance law--and I'm an attorney myself.

I'm not sure why there's a sense of hostility towards the OP from some folks here. They've had a very bad experience. Is it really necessary to cast aspersions on them, too? Kindness doesn't cost much.
 
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#44 ·
Let’s be real , if people think that joining the forum will expedite their issue they are wrong . Escalating to ensure resolution isn’t on a forum , forums are just regimented chat rooms with tools and rules . Some of us just roll our eyes with readings about narrative comments concerning issues and problems . We purchase stuff and things with warranty and or insurance .
There are other reasons to post on a forum. Maybe OP wanted us, fellow owners of Pachys, to be aware of this incident so that we can be better informed. I for one am very thankful that OP and the other former Pachy owners whose vans have caught fire took the time and energy to talk about their incredibly stressful experience in order to benefit the rest of us.

Does your warranty and insurance adequately cover your loved ones burning to death?
 
#43 ·
As an owner, I am disturbed by the fire reports. I never heard of one in my Sienna vans. That said, I realise this is a cutting edge vehicle and we are moderate beta testers.
Anyone in Canada get their 2020 yet?

Sent from my SM-G960W using Tapatalk
 
#45 ·
As an owner, I am disturbed by the fire reports. I never heard of one in my Sienna vans. That said, I realise this is a cutting edge vehicle and we are moderate beta testers.
Image result for toyota sienna fire
Image result for toyota sienna fire
Image result for toyota sienna fire
Image result for toyota sienna fire
Image result for toyota sienna fire


Vehicle fires are more common than you think. Here are several Sienna's on fire. Should all Sienna owners be panicking? No

Neither should PacHy owners. We know of 4 fires. 3 of them catastrophic and one that may be a total loss, but wasn't a total burn. There are many thousands of these out there, some over 3 years old now. (There were a handful of deliveries in February '17 before they starrted in earnest in late April) I'm no more cautius around my PacHy than I am around any other vehicle. Mine is at just over 36k miles, I took delivery 4/29/17 if memory serves.
 
#49 ·
View attachment 43106

Hi Everyone. New here.
It’s taken me over a month to post because I was was so traumatized. Ready to talk about this now and warn others. If this happened to you contact me so I can send info to my lawyer. I’m in Toronto.

Bought my 2018 hybrid Pacifica new.

It was off, not charging, and parked in a shopping plaza parking lot. I was loading my daughter in and we smelled smoke. I touched the ground by her feet. It was warm. I pulled up carpet and a blast of fire came up and hit my face. I moved and thankfully it just burnt my hat lashes and brows.

We got a fire extinguisher and when we returned the van was full of smoke and my front seat and ground was on fire. Fire trucks arrived and worked on it for 2 hours to make sure it was out.

We were in a plaza lot. If this was at home my house would have burnt to the ground. I don’t want to think what could have happened to me or my family.

I was in shock at first but now have ptsd. Insurance has not done anything yet because they are waiting on the dealership to do tests.
It has been 2 months and we do not have a rental or courtesy car. Chrysler also did not provide a tow under roadside assistance.. they said it was no covered when we call as our van was burning!!!!!

Tests are taking long because they needed “special gloves”... because it is volatile..yet they let us go into the van the next day to get our stuff. They were very rude when we went there because they were not happy the tow truck left it there at night. They told us to move it!!! It took almost 2 months to get the gloves and now they have it and they still cannot do tests because the emergency brake is on and they do not know how to disable it because it’s electronically controlled. They are waiting for direction from head office on how to do this. This was over a week ago. They say they are working on REPAIR costs to give insurance. How they think they can come up with a repair quote without getting the vehicle into their shop and do diagnostics is beyond me.
It causes me great anxiety thinking about getting back into any Pacifica (which I loved) let alone this particular one with the smell of smoke, that was drenched with water, that had the front seat ripped out, that exploded and where the floor that my daughters feet would hang over is charred and covered with battery acid.
If anyone out there has advice or can help.. we need it. I’m so disappointed in Chrysler.

View attachment 43107


View attachment 43108
so here is the thing. Lithium batteries catch on fire. Everyone know it. They did in laptops, cell phones and even airplanes. They have been exploding or otherwise burning in cars of all brands. Do not buy a hybrid or EV and park it in your garage. Not a good idea.

even manufacturing at 9 9’s (which is almost impossible in batteries) with the number of cars sold each year - this will begin to be the new normal. Cars burning down.

sorry Chrysler hasn’t been better to deal with. Tesla - the EV darling - are about the same. it’s all about hiding from liability.
 
#52 ·
#51 ·
I don't know what's going on in this thread. Some of the remarks I'm reading here by people with hundred of posts under their belts is a disappointing to say the least. If this thread doesn't get back on track it will be shut down. Thread cleaned.
 
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