Prius Caught on Fire

I think a more important question is was yours installed at the factory or by a dealer?

 

The 16 Prius c has a block heater available from the factory, not the hatchback, where did you get it, is it aftermarket, was it installed by a dealer?
Obviously,as the factory doesn't offer one...

 

wow, glad you're okay!

 

AFAIK they're never installed at factory. It would be much easier, for sure.

A little late, but I believe if you measure resistance across the prongs it should be around 30~40 ohms. I'll check and update. And yeah, doesn't mean much now.

Could've also been the extension cord or timer too.

Was it parked outside, I'm guessing yes? One plus!

That's terrible to see, still: good everyone's ok!

 

Are there exceptions for cars sold into the Alaska market?

I guess sometimes the regional distributor will put in certain accessories, before passing the car on to dealers.

-Chap

 

Very glad everyone is ok!
Are you the original owner?
If so, is that information should be in your paperwork?

I have never heard of a factory installed block heater. However, I can't say for certain if yours was installed at the dealer.
Can you contact the dealer and get the info from them?

 

I'm glad that you and your house are OK!

The rest?
Insurance claim, obviously.
It'll sting a little but it will heal, financially.


ANSWERS

• Are you aware of any incidents where a 2016 Prius has caught fire while parked?

No, and I'm guessing that this isn't the G4s fault.

• What type of block heater is installed in the 2016 Prius?

Aftermarket.

• Are block heaters typically installed by the dealership, at the port, or from the factory?

For your sake I hope it was a dealer installed option. That way somebody can be on the hook for insurance deductibles and increased rates. You'll want to give the chance to make the dealer make it right before you hire a slimy, bed-wetting, bottom-feeding attorney.
See what your state's small claims ceilings are and try to get the FD to render a "car caused fire" ruling.

• Have there been any recalls that affect the block heater or the electrical system?

Not OEM.....Not the factory's problem.
You could threaten them with an NTSB beef, but I'm thinking that everybody's going to be thinking block heater.

Sorry!

See above:
"I'm glad that you and your house are OK!"

 

Not a good day. That looks terrible! I'm glad no one was hurt.

 

What do you mean by "aftermarket"? I do know the Toyota Prius block heater is very proprietary, a Toyota product with part number, shown on the Toyota Canada website. You can buy the part or specify it as an accessory when "building" a new car purchase. It's definitely not a one-size-fits-all item.

 

Did they determine where the fire stated?
If it stated under the hood I would think block heater.
If started at the outlet, wiring.

I am not positive, but I believe the sticker may have a section for factory accessories and another section for dealer add one.
It is, as I recall, in small print.

 

It means that I might be wrong about the heater being a non-OEM item.
It happens occasionally.

People caught on to the old 2nd and third party sticker scams and so some car builders offer their customers (the dealers) the option of having non-optional options added to the "factory sticker."
Our hardware stores don't do a brisk business in selling snow shovels, and so I was unaware that Toyota has a proprietary block heater.

If we now think that the block heater IS an OEM item and it DID cause the fire, then you need to immediately contact the dealer, Toyota Care, and also file a report with the NHTSA.
File a Vehicle Safety Complaint | Safercar.gov | NHTSA

Unlike contacting Toyota Care, which is about as effective as writing to the jolly old elf at the North Pole (a neighbor?) lodging a legitimate NHTSA report can actually accomplish something since many cars are parked in garages that are attached to houses that people SLEEP in.
We've already demonstrated that I lack a proper understanding of block heaters, but I'm just guessing that they're used more often at night than during the day, and many people also sleep at night which is a bad time to not discover a fire.
(Yeah, I know. It's ALWAYS night this time of the year in the frozen North.)

Good Luck!

 

@Kremtok : how long approximately was the block heater plugged in? My aim is usually 2 hours. 1 to 1.5 hours is ok, anything over 3 hours I start getting nervous, would be inclined to unplug it. That said I believe it'll just plateau, but not sure about all the components. The one thing I've seen warm up a bit too much is the connection at the extension cord, and/or the extension cord itself.

 

The block heater is a "Toyota Part". Developed for Canada as I understand so maybe you can sue us. It's installed at the dealer from my understanding. It slides into a hole in the block with heat conductive grease on it. I won't use one because -I- think they overheat and damage the cord that is connected at the heater. In Alberta, they "come with the car". You can't delete it (but you WILL pay for it!). But Pearl S came from B.C. and the cooperative dealer I bought her from agreed to not install it and not charge me. GIII but probably the same deal with the G4.

I haven't heard anything from Toyota Canada about a fire risk, and with every Prius in Alberta having one you'd think we would experience the problem before anyone else, but there aren't that many Prius in Alberta. PUs and SUVs rule here! BTW, most other "block heaters" these days are the same type. Don't see the "immersion" type that go into a frost plug anymore.

Presuming your wiring is to code, the most likely thing is the cord melted and started the fire before the AC actually shorted, tripping the breaker.

 

likely a "port installed" option. I know for the Prius v, apparently factory-installed Remote Start is less expensive than the port-installed version.

 

Just personal. The extension cord connection was starting to go bad, corroding, which in turn increased heat when in use.

In your case, the cord was clear of the automatic grill shutters? Just thinking.

 

Our Honda's over the years were often on a frost plug location, immersion style. The last one, an 06 Civic Hybrid, replaced the engine block coolant drain bolt with a similar bolt with heater element in it, so again immersion style.

The Toyota Prius style is actually a first of that non-immersion style for me, had never heard of that method. What others are using the non-immerse style, do you know? Maybe some North American??

 

Of course not! The shutters closed, cutting the cord.