2008 Prius blows up.

all of us hope for the same zooey - we want to know what happened - 'inconclusive' is causing rampant speculation

 

zooey, very sorry to hear what happened and many here do want to know what happened. definitely let us know what, if any info you learn

 

i too suspect "foul play" - maybe even arson?!?

 

Z: Was the car locked and, if so, were there any signs of forced entry (to rule in or out some of the hypotheticals). And why did Fire not call Arson?

The Arson Squad should know what its doing--almost as much so as CSI Miami--and should certainly come up with something if the scene/car was sufficiently intact. When did they look at it?

And finally, since no one here has had or personally knows of such a happening, I would not be afraid of a replacement Prius--I don't intend to get rid of mine!

PLEASE keep us informed. Thanks, and best wishes.

 

To be honest any car can catch fire. Any car can be set on fire.

But without an fire-officer's report you're not going to know what caused it and where it started.

The Prius is one of the most reliable cars on the road today and, in my opinion, one of the safest.

So I think at the moment it's safe to say that you are probably more at chance of getting killed by lightening than having your prius burst into flames at night.

Nikki.

 

Zoeey: Sorry to hear about your experience and I hope that this gets straightened for you quickly. Really glad to see that luckily no one got hurt. I dont even want to imagine what it would have been like to have been in the car at the time of this fire/explosion ... SCARY !!!

Thanks for sharing your experience. Its definitely a matter of concern. Some Prius owners are so in love with their cars that they can't accept the fact that there is a possibility that it could be a Toyota issue. So while arson and foul play are possibilities - I hope for all Prius owners' sake that it is not a maufacturer issue.

Please keep us posted.

 

Oh, you should definitely get another Prius! Didn't you see the movie "The World According To Garp"? Garp is house shopping and the house he's thinking about buying has a plane fly into it while he's standing in front of it. He turns around and says to the realtor, "I'll take it! What are the chances of that ever happening again?"

 

Actually the chances are relatively high if the fire was caused by arson and the OP cannot improve her parking security beyond leaving her new car on the street. I'd be inclined to purchase an old beater vehicle, in that case.

 

Good point. The three incidents we've read about here involved cars that were on the street or in an insecure garage. That's not enough for good statistics but it verges on being suggestive of arson.

Do car arsonists prefer to set the front end alight?

 

Last week, I saw a semi tactor that caught fire and melted everything to the ground!
I guess all trucks should be parked for being unsafe. We will all have to get all our goods by rail...

I love it when all logic leaves the building

 

WRONG! The picture shows the low melting point of the aluminum hood. There are no auto parts thrown away from the vehicle. This fire damage is typical. The Molotov would leave evidence that firefighters can identify readily and the firefighters, not the owner, would have called for an Arson Investigator.

Modern Automobiles DO catch on fire all their own. The largest example of this, going on right now, is the Ford's cruise control. There have been many documented fires. My Ford is also on the recall list! Ford is replacing millions of cruise controls because they just start on fire when the motor is off. Many vehicles and garages have been burned. Ford has sent out warning letters and will disconnect the cruise free until they get replacement parts.

 

I teach in prison where it's safe!

 

Hey Zooie;
What is the latest?
I am far from any kind of expert but you car does not appear to
be arson.
After reading some of the post you seem to have some non-believers.
Not sure why anyone doubts your story,keep your chin up!

 

i too are interested in the science, as it can help prevent if it is an issue! We must know!! After catching up in this thread.

 

batteries + heat perhaps....

 

Definitely NOT the batteries.

The HV battery is behind the rear seats, and the 12V battery is in the trunk.

 

Reminds me of growing up in Youngstown, OH, AKA little chicago. One night the the whole neighborhood was awaken by a boom. Turned out to be a mobster getting blown out of his car not far away in the uptown district. The empty shoe was still on the accelerator. Broken store glass every where. Very cool for a young boys!

 

So you think this talk of arson is unreasonably paranoid? Here's a guy whose Prius was shot:
http://priuschat.com/forums/prius-main-forum/51294-my-prius-has-been-shot.html

 

Sorry that you and I never seem to understand each other...
My point was for the hybrid haters who talk like the OP car caught fire because it was a hybrid. I never intended that people were overly paranoid...