We ran over a child's mattress yesterday, July 2, 2010, which had been dropped on the road. We were in heavy 65mph traffic and could not swerve. The springs snagged the undercarriage of our Prius. We immediately pulled over, but the fire was leaping up around us as we exited. I assume the catalytic converter or sparks from the springs started the fire. People stopped to help, some even had fire extinguishers, but things happened too fast. Traffic backed up for miles. When the fire department got there it was too late. The front engine compartment seemed to be unscathed but everything else was a wreck. My wife and I were safe. I took the pictures. What surprised me when I Googled "car mattress fire" was how common this type of accident seems to be. I'm glad we're safe, but I'm very, very down. I looked at a 2010 Prius today and don't like it as well. [Edit, July 5, 2010: While I mentioned I was surprised to find other similar accidents with Google, I did not anticipate how quickly, if at all, this thread might be indexed. Way to go, Bing. You had it in little more than a day. I do not wish to add to Toyota's problems and I'm afraid some might see these somewhat dramatic pictures and find they reflect negatively on the Prius. Let me state without equivocation: The Prius I lost was the finest car I ever owned. I had hoped to keep it for many years. I have no reason to believe the fire was the result of anything other than human carelessness. Once the tires start burning, any car is likely to be lost. So farewell, my friend. You were the best.]
Glad you all got out ok. Scary how quickly it happened but also good to hear many people stopped to help.
Amazing story and photos. I'd agree that the high heat produced by the catalytic converter was the most likely cause of the fire. That first photo is quite dramatic. Do you recall your fuel tank level at the time of the fire? Did the tank explode? Glad to hear that you and your wife are safe and that you received help from passers-by. Perhaps a low-mileage 2008 or 2009 will be acceptable as a replacement? <At least there's no need to discuss whether or not your car will be written off by your insurance company... >
Incredible! SO glad that you and your wife were able to exit the car safely. "Running over a matress on the highway that causes catastophic fire resulting in total loss of your Prius Gen II = total write off.........Exiting safely with your wife = priceless"
As with everyone else, I'm glad you're fine but really sorry to hear about your loss. Two asides: 1) I wonder what people passing a burning Prius will tell their friends. 2) I hope the child got off the mattress before you ran it over.
Holy crap ! I am so glad you and your wife escaped unscathed out of this! I would never believe a discarded mattress could cause this blazing inferno. I am so sorry for you. Your Prius was the same age and same color as mine. I hope you'll get it settled with your insurance company quickly and get an adequate replacement fast.
Hi Patrick, The fuel tank was FULL at the time but it did not explode. My rear NEW Michelin tires did explode, though, with an alarming pop, almost simultaneously. The first photo is just a few seconds before the fire personnel started to spray the car. They really approached it carefully and it seemed hard to extinguish. Just when I thought they had it out (white smoke) it would re-kindle and there would be more black smoke.
Hi Tony, That was what I thought, that people driving by would say, "Yeah, I'll bet that guy's batteries exploded. That's why I'll never buy one." And then they'll go out and tell ten other people. That's a pity. I have no reason to believe that either the gas tank (full) or the battery compartment caught fire. The only reason the Prius might have been more vulnerable, perhaps, than an SUV would be the low clearance. In fact the first time we saw the mattress was when it emerged from beneath an SUV in front of us. With traffic on our left, I couldn't swerve, but that's not something I'm inclined to do at 60+ mph. As for the child, I would like him to direct me to his father so we could have a pleasant chat about what can happen when you fail to secure your load.
Thats sad, glad your both OK! Time to do a serious earch for a used 08/09 cat 5. If this happened to me, that's what I would go for!!!
thank God you're both o.k., must be a bummer, even tho the important thing is your health. on the bright side, there may be a few more pri for sale at a good price in your area after they read about your experience!
Because of your original post, and my undying curiosity I googled Car Mattress Fire. I also was suprised at how common this type of incident seems to be. You'd think all the variables of mattresses being left on highways and hitting them and then the car becoming ignited would make this relatively rare. I'm assuming a lot of these mattresses end up on the freeway, because people are dumping them roadside? Or do you think it's mostly simple mishandled transportation? In either case, next time I'm following someone who is transporting a mattress I'm going to be that much more nervous.
Some of those burned cars look worse than mine, if that's possible. I frequently see people transporting mattresses that look barely secured. This particular mattress was a child's twin size, tan in color with cowboy/cartoon characters on it. I saw it clearly as I and some good Samaritans tried to pull out a corner which had not yet caught fire. It was totally stuck -- I'm guessing the springs wrapped around something. What I'm not clear on is how a fire under the car gets INTO the car within a few minutes. I had kind of assumed the bottom is somewhat sealed and would resist fire -- after all there is a blazing hot catalytic converter under there. So what was the pathway? Hmmm . . .
