NHTSA Complaint #10232611 — 2000 NISSAN XTERRA

2000 NISSAN XTERRA 2WD VEHICLE. SECOND OWNER. OWNED FOR 6.5 YEARS. NO MODIFICATIONS WERE MADE TO VEHICLE BY EITHER ORIGINAL OWNER, OR MYSELF. ONLY DEALER INSTALLED OPTIONAL COMPONENT WAS A TRAILER HITCH. CAR TRAVELED LESS THAN 1000 MILES IN LAST CALENDAR YEAR. ON DATE IN QUESTION, CAR WAS STARTED AND DRIVEN AT 8:00 AM APPROXIMATELY 5 MILES TO A PARKING DECK. CAR THEN SAT IN PARKING DECK UNTIL 12:00 PM. CAR WAS THEN DRIVEN BACK TO ITS ORIGINAL ORIGIN AND PARKED BY APPROXIMATE TIME OF 12:30 PM. SHORTLY AFTER 9:00 PM, CAR WAS BELIEVED TO BE SOURCE OF IGNITION WHICH RESULTED IN A HOUSE FIRE AND DESTROYED HOUSE STRUCTURE, AS WELL AS FOUR OTHER VEHICLES. CAR WAS INVESTIGATED BY FORMER CHIEF ARSON INVESTIGATOR FOR ATLANTA, GA. HIS DETERMINATION AS TO SOURCE OF FIRE WAS WIRE HARNESS INSIDE XTERRA. BELIEVED TO BE A CASE OF A CONTACT REMAINING LIVE AND STARTING A FIRE SOMEWHERE BETWEEN THE CONSOLE SHIFT LEVER AND BEHIND THE CENTER OF THE DASH. CAR COMPLETELY DESTROYED- LITERALLY. VIN UNKNOWN INFORMATION RESIDES WITH INSURANCE COMPANY. *TR