2010 Prius Caught Fire

You may already know what to do, but just in case, here's the Washington State regulations covering replacement value:
What happens after your car gets totaled
You should also start checking comparables yourself to make sure that the insurance company is paying you retail or replacement price, *not* the wholesale or trade-in value.
Per the site above, make sure they also reimburse any taxes and fees.

 

I heard on radio today recall of some older Lexus models for a fuel line leak issue... as the car gets older some seal deteriorates. The report said Toyota was not aware of any actual fires related to the issue.

 

Glad everyone is ok.
There are hundreds of car fires every day in the U.S.. While rare, it certainly isn't unheard of.
Lots of flammable compounds that could have been the ignition point.
With the car just being driven and report of a funny smell, I would lean towards some oil dropping where it shouldn't, or a critter nest, overheating but not actually igniting until after the car was stopped.
Exhaust and other surfaces in the car can stay quite hot for quite some time.

I hope the fire investigator can get some answers for you.

 

We had a rat build a nest on top of the engine. Dragged all sorts of stuff in there, a terrycloth robe belt, a small stuffed animal toy (kinda cute), various plastic scraps. We were lucky. Our daughter's dog finally flushed it out of the garage, went a little nuts as soon as we let him out of the car in the garage, lol.

Yeah, I could see a nest catching fire: they have a penchant to chew through wires too...

 

OMG! This could be it. This very weekend ago, I checked oil level in mine and noticed some crusted pink residue on the coolant reservoir (the one on the left). The pressure cap was not turned all the way past the click and some coolant must have spilled over.
The last oil change that was back in September, I did complain to the dealer about coolant level below low, they must have topped it up and didn't screw the cap all the way. F...ing lazy bas..rds.
I did not realize it could have been a fire hazard.
If coolant is going to boil over, it's going to be right after the engine is shot down after some hard driving at low speeds. Glycol can actually ignite even diluted with water:
“Antifreeze “It doesn’t seem logical for a water based chemical to be flammable.

 

Was there an oil change at 90k? Oil filler cap left off? Has this been asked already?

 

If somebody leaves the oil filler cap off of my car after a maintenance procedure, I have a right to be torqued off about it.
However (comma!!)
If I don't detect the resulting oil spray inside the engine compartment and it results in a fire six months later, then the dealership didn't cause the fire in my never to be humbled opinion.
That's just how I roll.
The reason that cars are equipped with hoods that are easily opened from the inside by the owner is that sometimes when you own a car you are obligated to open the hood and perform some maintenance----even if it's a quick visual inspection to see if the hamster is still able to turn the wheel.
It's always a good idea to at least open the hood and peek inside after you pay someone to swing wrenches on your car if for no other reason than to make sure that the mechanic didn't leave a tool laying on one of those ridiculous fake plastic covers that they're putting on engines these days.
Or.......that they replaced the oil filler cap, or the radiator cap, etc....
It's an especially good idea to check the oil volume just to make sure that they actually changed the oil and replaced it afterwards.
It doesn't have to be malicious.
I've made mistakes on the job resulting in service outages, and I'm a fairly good tech who at least genuinely cares about providing good service to the customer.

Otherwise?
Why not have bolt-on hoods and eliminate the expense of hinges and cables??
One of the disturbing trends that I'm seeing in automobiles (and in other areas) is the idea that you can drive the car as much as 10,000 miles without ever opening the hood---and not even then if you have a trusted mechanic. I'm rather surprised that they haven't started placing the windshield washer fill port outside the engine compartment.

This isn't a slam on the OP at all, whom I presume (unless otherwise advised) is a responsible owner. The fact that they were aware of and performed their regularly scheduled maintenance speaks to that.

Sometimes?
Defecation Occurs.

That's why you have insurance.

 

I had three different investigators ... they all told me it is very difficult to determine what causes most car fires. They all wanted to document the year and model ..... look for any obvious cause. Insurance company may have you sign a waver that lets them go after the manufacturer or other party should they be able to determine the cause later on .. this is after they have settled everything.

Most insurance companies use a combination of sources to determine value -- some will waive deductible with a total losses. The rest is automatic. If you don't like the settlement number they give -- ask for an explanation and an increase .. or speak to a supervisor.

I had a fight many years ago when I first started driving -- so I use agreed value now and gap on all the corporate cars.

Sorry to hear ... yes it is a process. Don't sign anything!!


The cleaning companies that do that kind of work -- do a good job and it does need to start quickly ... but it is not always successful on every surface.

Have to stand firm .. if you don't like the results or have any fears .. don't agree that it is completed.

If you can't stay in the house .. most policies cover that.

 

I think one can't miss it if oil cap is off. Few years ago I left it loose accidentally, and the cap came off. Oil spray messed the whole engine bay and the chassis of the car, and made nasty fumes on exhaust manifold which told that something isn't right. No fire though.

 

You'd notice an oil aroma if the cap was left off. Might be slight spray, but pretty much contained under the hood.

(I've done it. )

 

You and your family are lucky to be alive. Just a miracle your car was not parked in your garage.

 

So glad you and your family are unharmed and that the fire was extinguished before it could do more serious damage to your home. Has you mentioned in the video, the thought of the car being parked in your garage when this happened really is very frightening.
Hope you and your insurance can sort this quickly.

 

I think that there are two questions as to what "fuels" the fire, i..e, what fuel starts the fire and what fuel sustains it -- with enough energy to melt the aluminum hood. Gasoline would be the most easily ignited starter fuel, but plastics may be the sustaining fuel. If the car were possibly in READY mode, the the fuel pump may have supplied substantial fuel via a leak or melted hose before wiring destruction turned it off. But being in READY mode should be of no consequence in terms of insurance claims. Any vehicle should be able to "idle" for extended periods without going ablaze.

 

talk about molasses.

 

Want to add my sympathy for loss but also relief that nobody was injured and your house survived.
Have put out two underhood fires on my cars and two on other folks cars. Those were carburetor cars that had enough fuel in float bowls to combust. Injected models have less fuel up front but far more combustible plastics, wiring, and hoses. Always carry fire extinguishers now! Good luck and please keep us informed! s

 

hmm, i've never carried a fire extinguisher. any special kine?

 

I believe it's still required in many European countries. Not that it would have helped here.