I’ve suggested in these pages that the several documented fires involving Chevrolet Volts suggest some kind of pattern, as no other major-manufacturer EVs have been involved in any reported fires. But, as Ronnie Schreiber at Cars In Depth points out, even that pattern seems to pale in comparison to the National Fire Protection Association’s tally of highway vehicle fires in the US each year. Though the number of highway vehicle fires has decreased significantly since 1980, 2009 still saw 190,500 fires. And between 2003 and 2007,
On average, 31 highway vehicle fires were reported per hour. These fires killed one person a day.
Want to know how to get a good chunk of the Detroit 3, no money down? Easy: Today, Fiat increased its ownership of Chrysler from 20 percent to 25 percent. What did they pay for it? Niente. Fiat received the extra shares “upon the Company’s achievement of the first of three performance-related milestones,” as a Chrysler Group LLC press release proclaims. And what is that milestone? They started making an engine. (Read More…)
After the Fourmile Canyon Fire in September, charred vehicle carcasses began showing up in quantity in Denver wrecking yards. Completely burned-to-hell-and-gone vehicles don’t seem to offer any usable components for junkyard shoppers, but they still show up. (Read More…)
Ferrari is sending engineers all around to the world to investigate “thermal incidents”. Now what’s a “thermal incident” you might ask? It ain’t a mistake that happens in your long johns, that’s for sure.
It’s corporate speak for “that supercar which you lashed loads of money on may catch fire in a big way.” (Read More…)
Eleven Nanos were puttering down India’s National Highway 8 on their way to the dealer (don’t they have car haulers there?) when one of them burst into flames, reports India’s Deccan Chronicle. These cases of spontaneous Nano combustion seem to pile up. (Read More…)
glwillia - Assuming, of course, you can suck up the annual 4-figure repair/maintenance bills. Keeping the car garaged and washed helps quite a bit too.
markholli - It was not related to an impact. If I recall it was an electrical fire. The news story I read indicated that the driver was not aware of the...
Kyree S. Williams - The 2013 Santa Fe looks like it was built better and has more-compelling styling, but then again, this generation of Sorento was developed and...
Kyree S. Williams - Huh. The Kia and Hyundai dealers where I live are very highly-regarded, and most all of them have excellent reputations. And this was even before...
Kyree S. Williams - We had a 2003 Kia Sorento EX, green with beige cladding and beige interior, fully loaded—and kept it until it died in a tragic rollover...
CJinSD - Looking at the JD Power VDS that you linked to, Buick is the only GM brand above Honda and Acura. Chevrolet, Cadillac, and GMC are all lower, although two of them...
glwillia - I’ve owned both, my current not-quite-daily driver is a 1994 E420. It feels and drives like a modern car for the most part, is comfortable, safe, smooth...
I’ve suggested in these pages that the several documented fires involving Chevrolet Volts suggest some kind of pattern, as no other major-manufacturer EVs have been involved in any reported fires. But, as Ronnie Schreiber at Cars In Depth points out, even that pattern seems to pale in comparison to the National Fire Protection Association’s tally of highway vehicle fires in the US each year. Though the number of highway vehicle fires has decreased significantly since 1980, 2009 still saw 190,500 fires. And between 2003 and 2007,
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jimbob457 - An old saying I have heard more than once: “there are two things every young man should do once in his life – own a “classic” used...
burgersandbeer - Agreed on Doug’s writing. For some reason I found the line about the usb stick funnier than I probably should have.
glwillia - Assuming, of course, you can suck up the annual 4-figure repair/maintenance bills. Keeping the car garaged and washed helps quite a bit too.
markholli - It was not related to an impact. If I recall it was an electrical fire. The news story I read indicated that the driver was not aware of the...
markholli - @Mkirk I can’t tell for sure what’s happening in that avatar pic, but it looks like an 80 series restoration or possibly...
Kyree S. Williams - The 2013 Santa Fe looks like it was built better and has more-compelling styling, but then again, this generation of Sorento was developed and...
Kyree S. Williams - Huh. The Kia and Hyundai dealers where I live are very highly-regarded, and most all of them have excellent reputations. And this was even before...
Kyree S. Williams - We had a 2003 Kia Sorento EX, green with beige cladding and beige interior, fully loaded—and kept it until it died in a tragic rollover...
CJinSD - Looking at the JD Power VDS that you linked to, Buick is the only GM brand above Honda and Acura. Chevrolet, Cadillac, and GMC are all lower, although two of them...
glwillia - I’ve owned both, my current not-quite-daily driver is a 1994 E420. It feels and drives like a modern car for the most part, is comfortable, safe, smooth...