Maybe it is just my suspicious nature.. but she seems much more intent on blaming Toyota than simply asking the experts (arson investigators, firefighters) what the hell it was. Perhaps blaming is not the right word.. but she states over and over that she wants answers from Toyota before even confirming this is a repeat incident with the Prius. She should be banging on the door of the people who were there and saw the thing happen and investigated the aftermath before asking a company several thousand miles away from the scene to explain Wth happened. I'm just saying it doesn't sound like she is eager to know the details and would just rather gather information to sue the pants off Toyota. Either way I hope this situation turns out well for you and I wish you the best. Keep us informed.
Sabotage by GM's SUV division? How low will they go???!!!h34r: Picasa Web Albums - jennifer - prius:lalala:
BTW, I think its pretty common for the hood to be gone in a Prius fire. It and the trunk are aluminum, whereas the rest is steel. There were pics a few months back of someone who's garage was set on fire with his Prius inside. Most all the metal was there, except there was no trace of the hood or rear hatch. Rob
Some pictures, but how did the hood get twisted up like that? Was it in an attempt to put out the fire? If it was caused by the fire itself, why isn't the left headlamp cover warped more than it is? Does anyone have any ideas? Dave M.
Toyota would be the one to contact to confirm if this is a repeat occurrence, AND Toyota should be glad to give her the numbers. However, she has to ask the right question.
This looks rather like the fire photo shown here: http://priuschat.com/forums/newbie-forum/43135-priuss-spontaneously-catching-fire-5.html
zooey1118, did the car have any aftermarket electronics installed, or any other kind of modification? Was any kind of powered device (even something as apparently benign as a flashlight) being stored inside the car? Flammable liquids? Pressurized cans? Was anything plugged into any of the accessory power outlets?
No question the fire investigator should be given time to complete his/her report before jumping to any conclusions. I asked there for both incidents mentioned in that thread what the fire investigators determined the the origin and cause to be. The question went unanswered in both cases. Makes me believe it was found to be something a little less sensational than a Prius "spontaneously catching on fire," since the posters never reported back. Quite possibly. The FD likely had to force entry into the engine compartment to completely extinguish the fire, probably using a large pry bar like this.
wow, just got home and read some of the posts. i don't know why some think i'm quick to blame toyota - i was the one who called the arson investigators. all i am hoping is that toyota does a thorough investigation to see if it was mechanical AND that the arson investigators do one to see if it was vandalism. more than anything, i just want to know what happened because it was a truly scary experience. i would think that toyota owners would ALL want toyota to investigate to see if it was mechanical. i heard from santa monica toyota (my dealer) this afternoon. they said they looked at the car and that it was "inconclusive". they have no idea what happened. he told me to call insurance and have them come get it (it is currently at santa monica toyota's body shop) and that my insurance needs to start paying for a rental car asap. toyota loaned me a car under the toyota care plus (or whatever it is called). i guess i have to figure out what to do now... never dealt with anything like this before, so any suggestions would be appreciated. (do i just let the insurance handle it? do i call toyota corporate?) thanks again.
also, to answer some questions that were asked... no, no modifications made to the car and nothing plugged in or flammable in the car. the fire dep't. didn't see anything suspicious and told me to call toyota. i called the arson investigators on my own the next day on the advice of friends.
zooey1118, that is what insurance is for, let them handle it. If it is possible to get anything from Toyota because of a reoccurring problem, if there even is one, they will do it. So are you going to get another Prius??
SOMEONE pointed out that this was a prius with HID's. To my knowledge, packages 5 and 6 have HID's right? well, this is NOT a 5 or 6 due to the lack of fog lamps. Check it out and let me know if i'm right or not. also, i'm NOT disregarding any of ZOOEY1118 claims, but i happen to know the folks at santa monica toyota. i bought TWO PRIUS'S from them. they dont have a body shop, but they do use TWO outside sources as body shops - but they do NOT have an official toyota of santa monica body shop. i put in some calls. you can imagine my concern as my second prius was purchased for my daughter. i'm very concerned indeed.
I suspect someone put a "molotov cocktail" under the hood on this one. No way does a Prius (or any other modern automobile) catch on fire all on its own, with explosive damage like that pictured.
I've studied the pictures on the Picasa site and I have doubts whether an actual explosion occurred. I think most of the body/hood damage took place when the firefighters were extinguishing the fire. The boom she heard could have been the tire blowing.
I think somebody set the passenger-side front tire on fire. The burn marks on the passenger-side fender is delineated pretty clearly by the extent of the wheel well (you can see the border between the burnt body paint and the unburnt body paint pretty well), and the plastic wheel rim ring is gone. Probably burned up by the burning tire. How easy is it to set a rubber tire on fire..?
the car is at royalty auto body in santa monica, which santa monica toyota said was "their body shop". i know it's not officially at the dealer, but it is the one they said they use as their shop. haven't decided yet whether to get another prius. it's much too soon to make a decision like that. like i said, still a little shaken up and am hoping to get a better answer than "inconclusive" as to what caused the fire/explosion.
