NHTSA Complaint #10313271 — 2000 TOYOTA CAMRY

ENGINE CAUGHT ON FIRE AND CAR WAS DECLARED TOTALED. I WAS DRIVING IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD WHEN I SMELLED HORRIBLE BURNING ODOR. I PUT WINDOW DOWN TO SEE IF SOMEONE WAS BURNING BRUSH OUTSIDE. ONCE WINDOW WAS DOWN, SMOKE STARTED TO POUR INTO DRIVER'S COMPARTMENT, AND THEN I SAW THE SMOKE FROM UNDER THE HOOD OF THE ENGINE. I IMMEDIATELY PULLED ONTO SIDE STREET, SHUT OFF CAR, GRABBED PURSE AND KEYS, AND RAN. PERSON IN STREET TOLD ME CAR WAS ON FIRE, WHICH I HADN'T BEEN ABLE TO SEE, BECAUSE THE FLAMES WERE POURING OUT FROM UNDER THE ENGINE ONTO THE STREET. I RAN AND CALLED 911 FROM CELL PHONE. TWO FIRE TRUCKS CAME WITHIN 5 MINUTES, AND IT TOOK THEM 20 MINUTES TO PUT OUT THE FIRE. THE ENGINE WAS TOTALLY MELTED DOWN. I COULD HAVE DIED AS A RESULT OF FUMES OR BEING BURNED AND WAS LUCKY I WASN'T ON A HIGHWAY AT HIGH SPEEDS. *TR