NHTSA Complaint #10135211 — 2002 DODGE DODGE TRUCK

LOADED VEHICLE WITH 1440LB SAND. UPON DRIVING HIGHWAY (NEVER EXCEED 55MPH) WITHIN 20 MIN VEHICLE SMOKED HEAVILY FROM ENGINE BAY. DISCOVERED THAT VEHICLE'S POWER STEERING PUMP HAS AN OVERFLOW VALVE LINE THAT SEEMS TO HAVE A PRESSURE VALVE AT THE END OF IT. THIS HOSE IS CONNECTED TO THE WIRING HARNESS NEAR THE BATTERY, AND POINTS VERTICALLY AT THE HOOD, JUST OVER THE VALVE COVER ASSEMBLY. POWER STEERING FLUID POURED OVER THE ENGINE, COMBUSTING ON THE ENGINE ASSEMBLY, BUT NOT FLAMING UP. MY ASSUMPTION IS THAT THIS VEHICLE'S POWER STEERING UNIT IS SOMEHOW TIED TO A "LOAD LEVELER?" THAT IS FACTORY INSTALLED. DUE TO THE LOAD WEIGHT IN THE BACK OF THE VEHICLE, THIS CAUSED THE POWER STEERING FLUID TO OVERHEAT AND EXPAND, CAUSING THE EJECTION OF FLUID. ANOTHER ANSWER IS THAT THIS IS SOMEHOW A TRANSMISSION FLUID OVERFLOW, AND THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION SIMPLY OVERHEATED. UNFORTUNATELY, WITH THE POSITION OF THE OVERFLOW RELEASE HOSE AND VALVE, THIS REQUIRED REPLACEMENT OF SEVERAL HOSES AND A WIRE KIT DUE TO THE DAMAGE. MY QUESTION IS WHY WOULD THIS FLUID BE EJECTED ABOVE THE ENGINE---THIS FLUID IS DEFINITELY PETROLEUM BASED, AND FLAMMABLE. HAD I CONTINUED DOWN THE ROAD FURTHER, I CERTAINLY WOULD HAVE HAD FLAME. PLEASE NOTE, THE WEIGHT RATING FOR THIS TRUCK IS 1800LB, I AM 265, AND THE TRUCK WAS EMPTY, EXCEPT FOR THE 1440LB OF SAND. I WAS APPROACHING THE RATING, BUT NOT NEARLY OVERLOADING THE TRUCK.