LEAF Fire in North Texas

[Shawn75067]

Thank you for your insight. Still so surprised this happened. Would really like to know if anyone else has been effected by this.

[mwalsh]

Thank you for your insight. Still so surprised this happened. Would really like to know if anyone else has been effected by this.

Nope. You are quite literally the only one.

So while it's unfortunate, and I am sorry you were freaked out (equally glad nobody was hurt), it's probably not a massive concern to most here going forward. Car fires happen, and gasoline is not always the cause.

[TimLee]

... Still so surprised this happened. ...

Glad you are OK.

I think everyone is surprised as this is first report of LEAF fire with four and a half years of experience and 80,000 in the US and over 100,000 world wide.
As others stated some small % of all vehicles with electrical systems have fires.
Maybe a bit more surprising this is the first report on a LEAF.

What did it look like after the fire was out?
From the video it was pretty intense fire.
Depending on severity of the fire Nissan or NHTSA might be interested in forensic investigation.
Where is the vehicle now?

[Shawn75067]

I have pictures from afterward, but do not know how to post them from my computer on here.

I'm surprised also that there are no other known cases of fire with the Leaf anywhere else. So glad that no one else was injured as well as myself.

The vehicle is in a salvage yard in Dallas.

[Valdemar]

Looking at the cutout, is that plastic below the thick high-voltage cable or metal? If it is plastic seems like a poor protection from road hazards.

[jpadc]

Car fires happen, and gasoline is not always the cause.

True that, but if not gasoline (or oil), its usually the heat off an ICE that is the cause. The idea that this fire is due to a 12 volt electrical short seems unlikely (i.e., impossible) to me. Unless the 12 volt is run through a a very carefully wound coil (like an old style cigarette lighter) or a dead short across the battery terminals with a very heavy gauge wire, nothing 12 volt underneath that dash could produce the heat necessary to start a fire. But if either the 12 volt system or the traction battery was shorting you would think it would a) make a lot of noise and b) dramatically effect the operation of the car such that you would not find yourself driving “normally” until you noticed smoke.

Since no one was injured (thankfully) I can understand the relative lack of interest in the cause, but I would think your insurance company would be looking to push the cost onto someone else so at least they would send someone out to have a closer look.

[RonDawg]

There are plenty of cars in salvage yards and insurance auction yards whose interiors burned up as a result of a 12 volt short circuit. Check out this video of how even 12 volts can generate enough heat to start a fire in a car interior:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FYYnqiKqslY

Remember the initial heat source doesn't have to be huge, just enough to start something flammable on fire. From there the flammable materials take over the rest.

[Shawn75067]

I have submitted the information to safe car website and who knows if we'll hear anything from here. Even if it was a low power wiring issue, it still shouldn't have happened as the car was in perfect condition and only 2 years old.

[Firetruck41]

Car fires happen, and gasoline is not always the cause.

True that, but if not gasoline (or oil), its usually the heat off an ICE that is the cause. The idea that this fire is due to a 12 volt electrical short seems unlikely (i.e., impossible) to me. Unless the 12 volt is run through a a very carefully wound coil (like an old style cigarette lighter) or a dead short across the battery terminals with a very heavy gauge wire, nothing 12 volt underneath that dash could produce the heat necessary to start a fire. But if either the 12 volt system or the traction battery was shorting you would think it would a) make a lot of noise and b) dramatically effect the operation of the car such that you would not find yourself driving “normally” until you noticed smoke.

Since no one was injured (thankfully) I can understand the relative lack of interest in the cause, but I would think your insurance company would be looking to push the cost onto someone else so at least they would send someone out to have a closer look.

12V is a common cause of car fires.

[mwalsh]

12V is a common cause of car fires.

Although I'm no expert, I would have to agree.