NHTSA Complaint #10276019 — 2005 NISSAN MAXIMA

MY 2005 MAXIMA HAD BEEN PARKED IN MY GARAGE WHEN AN ELECTRICAL FIRE OCCURRED NEAR OR IN THE FUSE PANEL. WE DO NOT KNOW WHEN THE FIRE OCCURRED. THE FIRE HAD SOMEHOW CONTAINED ITSELF AND SELF-EXTINGUISHED. THE CAR WAS SEALED SO WE ASSUME IT RAN OUT OF OXYGEN AS THE SMOKE DID NOT LEAK TO THE GARAGE. THE LOWER DASH PANEL ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE STEERING COLUMN APPEARS TO BE THE INITIAL FIRE. AS I AM NOT AN EXPERT, I CAN ONLY ASSUME THE HOUSING FOR THE FUSE PANEL WOULD RELATE TO THE CAUSE OF THE FIRE AS THIS IS WHERE MOST OF THE DAMAGE OCCURRED. THE FIRE MELTED THAT PANEL TO THE FLOORBOARD AND SPREAD AROUND THE STEERING COLUMN, AROUND THE IGNITION AND SLIGHTLY UP TO THE UPPER DASHBOARD (RIGHT SIDE), AGAIN CAUSING THE DASH TO MELT. PRIOR TO THE FIRE THE DRIVER'S SIDE POWER SEAT WOULD NOT ENGAGE ANY MOVEMENT. I HAD NOT ATTEMPTED TO FIX IT AS I RARELY, IF EVER, MOVE MY SEAT. THIS HAD OCCURRED APPROXIMATELY 4-6 MONTHS PRIOR TO THE FIRE. ANOTHER ELECTRICAL ISSUE THE CAR HAD PRIOR WAS THE SEAT BELT LIGHT INDICATOR WOULD REMAIN ON WHEN THE DRIVER'S SIDE SEAT BELT WAS INDEED BUCKLED. I DO NOT KNOW IF THESE ELECTRICAL ISSUES RELATE TO THE ELECTRICAL FIRE. I DID HOWEVER FIND ANOTHER REPORT ON NHTSA INVOLVING THE SAME TYPE OF POWER SEAT ISSUES AND SIMILAR ELECTRICAL FIRE TO THE SAME MAKE, MODEL AND YEAR OF MY MAXIMA. AT THIS TIME THE NISSAN DEALERSHIP IS NOT SURE HOW THE FIRE STARTED AND IS NOT CLAIMING NISSAN LIABILITY. I AM CONCERNED THE DEALERSHIP WILL NOT INVESTIGATE THE CAUSE OF FIRE AND REPLACE THE DAMAGED COMPONENTS OF MY CAR WITH THE SAME POTENTIAL ELECTRICAL FIRE HAZARDS. I FEEL THIS FIRE SHOULD BE CAUSE FOR INVESTIGATION AS MY MAXIMA APPEARS TO BE AT LEAST THE SECOND NISSAN WITH THE SAME EXACT ELECTRICAL ISSUES AND FIRE. *TR