NHTSA Complaint #10246360 — 2000 PONTIAC GRAND PRIX

I WAS ON MY WAY HOME FROM WORK. I DECIDED TO STOP AND GET GAS BEFORE GOING HOME. I STOPPED GOT GAS AND WHEN I STARTED MY CAR A LITTLE SMOKE CAME OUT THE SIDES OF THE HOOD. I DIDN'T THINK ANYTHING OF IT BECAUSE IT WASN T ALOT. AND SO I KEPT DRIVING ABOUT 2 BLOCK AWAY I HAD MORE SMOKE COMING OUT. I WAS ONLY 3 BLOCKS FROM HOME SO I DECIDED TO JUST GET HOME. MORE AND MORE SMOKE STARTED COMING OUT I LOST A LITTLE POWER AND THEN A FLAME SHOT INTO THE CAR. I WAS HEADED UP THE HILL TO MY HOUSE AND STILL CONTINUED TO LOSE POWER AS I GOT RIGHT INFRONT OF MY HOUSE I COULDN'T MOVE FORWARD AND STARTED ROLLING BACKWARDS DOWN THE HILL AND THEN MY BRAKES GAVE OUT AND THE ONLY THING THAT STOPPED ME WAS THE EMERGENCY BRAKE. BY THIS TIME FLAMES WERE SHOOTING OUT FROM UNDER THE HOOD. I GRABBED EVERYTHING THAT I THOUGHT WAS IMPORTANT, RAN IT INTO MY HOUSE. WENT BACK OUT, CALLED THE FIRE DEPT AND RAN INTO GET MY FIRE EXTINGUISHER BUT BY THAT TIME THE FIRE DEPT WAS THERE IT TOOK THEM ABOUT 10 MIN TO PUT THE FIRE OUT BECAUSE WE COULDN'T GET THE HOOD OPEN AND SO JUST WHEN WE THOUGHT IT WAS OUT IT WASN'T. FINALLY WHEN IT WAS OUT THEY OPENED THE HOOD. EVERYTHING UNDER THE HOOD WAS DESTROYED. *TR