APPROXIMATELY 6:30AM, TRAVELING I-75, NORTHERN GEORGIA, SMELLED ODOR SUGGESTING SOME ELECTRICAL SHORT. TRUCK PASSED US AT SAME TIME ODOR DETECTED, ODOR DISAPPEARED. CONTINUED TO CALHOUN, GA. EXIT, STOPPED AT CRACKER BARREL RESTARUANT FOR BREAKFAST. CAME OUT OF RESTAURANT APPROXIMATELY 7:15AM...NOW DAYLIGHT. STARTED ENGINE, SMOKE CAME FROM EVERY A/C-HEATER VENT IN CAR. EXAMINED UNDER HOOD...ALL OK..RETRIEVED FIRE EXTINGUISHER FROM TRUNK...WIFE AND I HAD BOTH EXITED CAR AT THAT TIME..WIFE EXCITEDLY POINTED OUT FIRE UNDER LEFT SIDE OF DASH BOARD. MANAGER OF RESTAURANT HAD OBSERVED CLOUDS OF SMOKE COMING FROM CAR AND CALLED FIRE DEPARTMENT. BY THE TIME THEY ARRIVED I HAD EXTINGUISHED FIRE. CAR HAULED TO DODGE DEALER IN DALTON, GA. MECHANIC DETERMINED THAT FIRE WAS DUE TO SHORT IN "HEATER BOX". I WAS GIVEN THIS COMPONENT ALONG WITH 25 AMP FUSE (BLOWN) AND PARTIAL HOUSING AROUND A/C BLOWER AS EVIDENCE. CHRYSLER "ENGINEER" EXAMINED CAR AT FAIRWAY CHRYSLER PLYMOUTH, KISSIMMEE, FL. ON 9/25/00. DAIMLER CHRYSLER DENIED ANY RESPONSIBILITY PER LETTER 9/28/00. I WROTE EXTENSIVE LETTER (REPORT) WITH ENCLOSURES TO MR. DIETER ZETSCHE, PRESIDENT, CHRYSLER GROUP, DAIMLER CHRYSLER CORPORATION 11/24/2000. PHONE CALL FROM SOMEONE AT DAMILER CHRYSLER CORP. 12/4/00 REAFFIRMING THEIR DENIAL OF ANY RESPONSIBILITY. HAD THIS FIRE OCCURRED WHEN ODOR FIRST DETECTED (TRAVELING 70 MPH IN PRE DAWN DARKNESS) IT IS QUESTIONABLE THAT I WOULD HAVE BEEN ABLE TO RETAIN CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE WHICH COULD HAVE HAD DISASTEROUS RESULTS (IE THE SUDDENNESS OF THIS FIRE AND THE THICK POISONOUS SMOKE FILLED THE INTERIOR OF THE CAR). CHRYSLER, OBSIOUSLY HAS KNOWN ABOUT PROBLEM(S) WITH THE AUTOMATIC AIRCONDITIONING SYSTEM LIKE THAT IN OUR CAR AS THEY REPLACED THE EVAPORATOR ON OUR CAR UNDER EXTENDED WARRANTY ON 1/13/00 WHEN OUR CAR HAD RECORDED 69204 MILES...THE WARRANTY WAS EXTENDED TO 70,000 MILES FOR THAT SERVICE. *AK
- NHTSA ID
- 737332
- Incident
- Sep 11, 2000