NHTSA Complaint #10122123 — 1995 TOYOTA COROLLA

WHILE DRIVING TO WORK I NOTED A POPPING SOUND WHICH SEEMED TO BE COMING FROM MY CIGARETTE LIGHTER. ( SOUNDED LIKE THE POP SOUND WHEN THE LIGHTER IS READY FOR USE) HOWEVER I DID NOT PUSH IN THE LIGHTER TO USE IT, I JUST IGNORED THE SOUND, BUT DID HEAR IT ONE MORE TIME BEFORE ARRIVING AT MY DESTINATION, PARKING AND LEAVING MY VEHICLE. THANK GOD I HAD FORGOT MY MILITARY ID AND HAD TO RETURN TO MY VEHICLE WITHIN A FEW MINUTES. WHEN I ARRIVED AT MY VEHICLE THERE WERE FLAMES SHOOTING UP FROM INSIDE MY VEHICLE. I QUICKLY RAN BACK TO MY OFFICE AND WITH THE ASSISTANCE OF SEVERAL OTHER CO WORKERS, WE EXTINGUISHED THE FIRE USING FIRE EXTINGUISHERS. AFTER CLOSER EXAMINATION OF THE FIRES LOCATION, I CAN CLEARLY SEE THAT THE FIRE STARTED IN THE SAME AREA OF THE CIGARETTE LIGHTER, BEHIND THE CONSOLE.