NHTSA Complaint #10470684 — 2008 TOYOTA RAV4

APPROXIMATELY 5 MINUTES AFTER I STARTED UP MY CAR AND BEGAN DRIVING TODAY I BEGAN TO NOTICE A STRANGE AND STRONG ODOR. I HAD MY DRIVER'S SIDE WINDOW DOWN (POWER WINDOWS) AND INITIALLY ATTRIBUTED THE ODOR TO A LARGE TRUCK THAT WAS SEVERAL CAR LENGTHS AHEAD OF ME. I NOTICED THAT THE ODOR PERSISTED EVEN ONCE THE TRUCK WAS NO LONGER VISIBLE TO ME OR IN CLOSE PROXIMITY. AT THAT POINT I THEN ENTERED ONTO A MAJOR HIGHWAY VIA THE ENTRANCE RAMP, AND GOT MY SPEED UP TO THE SPEED LIMIT OF 65 MILES PER HOUR. AS I WAS DRIVING I NOTICED A LARGE AMOUNT OF SMOKE COMING UP FROM MY POWER WINDOW SWITCHES ON THE DRIVER'S DOOR. IN ADDITION TO THE SMOKE I COULD SEE AN ACTUAL FLAME BURNING UNDERNEATH THE SWITCHES. MY INITIAL RESPONSE WAS FEAR AND PANIC, BUT I WAS ABLE TO FIND A SAFE SPOT TO PULL OFF TO THE SIDE OF THE HIGHWAY AFTER A COUPLE OF MINUTES. MY FIRST THOUGHT WAS TO DIAL 911, BUT I WAS AFRAID BY THE TIME SOMEONE ARRIVED THE CAR MIGHT BURST INTO FLAMES AND BLOW UP!! I IMMEDIATELY THOUGHT THAT I NEEDED TO TRY TO EXTINGUISH THE FIRE SOMEHOW AS MY CAR WAS FILLING WITH SMOKE AND THE ODOR WAS OVERWHELMING. I QUICKLY LOOKED AROUND TO SEE IF I HAD ANY BOTTLED WATER IN THE CAR-BUT I DID NOT. THE ONLY LIQUID I HAD ACCESSIBLE TO DOWSE THE FLAMES WAS MY ICED COFFEE-SO I POURED A SMALL AMOUNT OVER THE SMOKE AND FLAMES COMING FROM THE SWITCHES TO EXTINGUISH THE FIRE, BUT IT CONTINUED TO BURN. I THEN PROCEEDED TO POUR HALF OF MY ICED COFFEE OVER THE SWITCHES WHICH DID FINALLY EXTINGUISH THE FIRE. AS A RESULT OF THE FIRE THE ONLY WINDOW THAT WILL ACTUALLY MOVE NOW IS THE DRIVER'S SIDE WINDOW. THE PASSENGER'S WINDOW WILL NOT MOVE AT ALL AND THE TWO REAR WINDOWS WILL ONLY MOVE IF USING THE SWITCHES ON THE BACK DOORS. AS A RESULT OF THE FIRE MY CAR NOW HAS A VERY DISTINGUISHABLE BURNT ODOR TO IT! NEEDLESS TO SAY THIS WAS ONE OF THE SCARIEST EXPERIENCES I HAVE HAD WHEN DRIVING MY CAR. *TR