NHTSA Complaint #10418950 — 2004 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 2500

2004 CHEVROLET SILVERADO. FIRE INVESTIGATOR WRITES IN REGARDS TO VEHICLE DASH FIRE *TGW THE VEHICLE WAS HEAVILY DAMAGED BY A FIRE WHICH REPORTEDLY ORIGINATED IN THE DASH. THE FIRE SPREAD AND CONSEQUENTLY CONSUMED THE PASSENGER COMPARTMENT, THEN SPREAD TO THE ENGINE. THE PROBLEM MANIFESTED WHILE THE DRIVER WAS USING THE CIGARETTE LIGHTER. PRIOR TO THE FIRE, THE TRANSMISSION, ALTERNATOR AND A 15 AMP FUSE LIGHTER FUSE WAS REPLACED. THE CIGARETTE LIGHTER WAS USED FREQUENTLY, PLUGGING A 400 WATT INVERTER WHICH ALLOWED THE DRIVER TO USE HIS COMPUTER. AT THE TIME OF THE FIRE, THE CONSUMER WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY WHEN HE UNPLUGGED THE INVERTER FROM THE CIGARETTE LIGHTER SOCKET AND INSERTED HIS CIGARETTE LIGHTER WHICH POPPED BACK. ABOUT A SECOND LATER, WHITE SMOKE STARTING COMING FROM THE DASH. THERE WERE NO CIGARETTES IN THE ASH TRAY. THE SMOKE STARTED TO INCREASE AND THE CONSUMER IDENTIFIED THE PROBLEM AS AN ELECTRICAL INSULATION SMOKE ODOR. THE SMOKE WAS COMING FROM THE BACK OF THE DASH; THERE WAS NO SMOKE COMING FROM THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT OR THE HOOD AT THAT TIME. IT WAS IN THE FIRE INVESTIGATOR'S OPINION, THAT THE RESULTS OF THE EXAMINATION LEAD TO A CONCLUSION THAT ON A MORE PROBABLE THAN NOT BASIS, AN ELECTRICAL ANOMALY AT THE DASH AREA AND IN THE VICINITY OF THE CIGARETTE LIGHTER IGNITED NEARBY COMBUSTIBLES AND THE FIRE SPREAD INTO THE PASSENGER COMPARTMENT. (LETTER SENT IN BY FIRE INVESTIGATOR) *JB