My Toyota Prius 2010 caught fire

Although I may be wrong, I suspect that the flash point of these fires started in the LEFT fender area where the inverter is stationed. Many people are confused with the correct nomenclature of an automobile. The left and right are determined whilst siting in the vehicle and not from standing in the front of the car. I just wanted to point this out in case there was some confusion as to the actual location.

 

Good idea...$150 for older model...anyway to do this cheaper?

 

Interesting case Vauxhall quite a few fires yet the manufacturer does not understand the root cause. Shows it is not always easy to figure out, especially if the car is damaged.

I like Chap's idea above of the IR camera, although no guarantee that tool will solve the problem, but it's one way to start a study. I'd do it myself, but I do not think my Gen2 with regular head lamps is implicated.

 

Fire has consumed the right side of the car in the pix I've seen. Every motor vehicle is a "ticking time bomb". There were 164000 fires in the USA in 2013.
Highway vehicle fires by year


"On average, 31 highway vehicle fires were reported per hour. These fires killed one person a day. Overall, highway vehicles fires were involved in 17% of reported U.S. fires, 12% of U.S. fire deaths, 8% of U.S. civilian fire injuries, and 9% of the direct property damage from reported fires.

According to the U.S Federal Highway Administration data, roughly 2,980 billion miles were driven, on average, per year on U.S. roads during this period. Roughly 90 highway vehicle fires and 0.15 highway vehicle fire deaths were reported per billion miles driven."
Vehicle fire trends and patterns


GM's problem seems to be gaskets that deteriorate allowing oil to leak where it can ignite.

 

there's no battery under the hood. are you suing toyota? you'll need better investigators.

 

as a cabbie, can you get any help from your association, or the government?

 

maybe you can find the other victim through the fire brigade.

 

No, the pictures show the Right fender area, opposite from the inverter assembly is involved. In the OP's pictures, the right side is heavily burned.

One theory, is that the engine or inverter coolant is somehow ignited. See this article, which shows that glycol based antifreeze/coolant is indeed flammable, under the proper conditions:

AUTOMOBILE ENGINE COOLANT RELATED FIRES

If I had to guess, there was a leak in the coolant system, which has hoses running very nearby, and even has a small coolant overflow hose running along the top of the right headlight housing, which allowed hot engine coolant to come into contact with the hot headlamp assembly, or exhaust manifold, and vaporize into the flammable materials which ignited. Once ignited and burning hot enough, the entire coolant reservoir becomes consumed, and feeds the fire further. This is why the front right side of the vehicle is consumed in these Prius fires.

 

how does this happen to a vehicle parked in the garage in the middle of the night?

 

Good point, I'm not sure if the vehicle that caught fire in the middle of the night had been driven previously to have hot surfaces (exhaust manifold, etc.). I don't recall if that detail was given.

 

me either.

 

well if there is a coolant leak, upon sitting in air the water will evaporate leaving a flammable liquid behind, The liquid conceivably is corrosive and conductive. All conjecture but you asked.

 

Another thing to keep in mind, is that Toyota uses 100% glycol based coolant, there is no water (50/50) to evaporate, therefore, the ignition temp, or flashpoint of the coolant can be lower.

 

if this theory is correct, it must be determined why a few cars are having fires. defect? service? overheating?

 

Probably a combination of factors. Poor design, which routes the coolant carrying hoses close to possible ignition/heat sources. I know I've had to move the air intake hose, which is alongside the coolant overflow hose near the top of the right headlight housing, away to gain access to the rear of the right headlight assembly when removing and replacing bulbs.

Then, all it takes is a coolant leak, maybe under pressure, to spray in just the right (unfortunate) direction onto something hot enough to vaporize, or ignite the coolant. Normally, the odds of this is very small, that all the right conditions would exist. And that seems to be the case here, only a small amount, relatively, but still there.

If the investigators can at least say that the engine coolant fueled the fire, then at least we would be getting somewhere.

 

First of all my theory is debunked....looks like the Toyota pink fluid has very low conductivity when fresh. Not sure about older fluid (i'll check later). In general, older fluid picks up conductivity but I don't know if the Toyota fluid picks up conductivity.

It is 50/50, though, as Toyota calls it 50/50 and water is the first ingredient.

I think Bisco is likely correct, the reported time delay mechanism seems electric in nature.

 

Yes, you are correct. 50/50 mixture, sold premixed.