NHTSA Complaint #10471367 — 2010 FORD FUSION

RETURNING TO TN FROM VACATION IN FL ON 7/15/12. TRAVELING BEFORE BIRMINGHAM, AL - HEARD A LOUD BOOM SOUND (LIKE A TIRE BLOW OUT), THEN HEARD A ROAR. AS WE SIGNALED TO MOVE FROM THE FAST LANE TO THE EMERGENCY LANE - FLAMES WERE OVER THE BACK WINDOW OF THE CAR. BY THE TIME THAT WE REACHED THE EMERGENCY LANE, THE ENTIRE CAR WAS ENGULFED IN FLAMES BOTH INSIDE AND OUTSIDE. THE CAR WAS ENTIRELY ENGULFED IN FLAMES WITHIN 10 TO 20 SECONDS. I HAD PURCHASED THE CAR FROM MOSS MOTOR COMPANY IN SOUTH PITTSBURGH, TN ON 6/4/12. THE CAR HAD ISSUES WITHIN TWO WEEKS THAT REQUIRED THE CAR TO BE TOWED BACK TO THE DEALER FOR POWERTRAIN ISSUE. DEALER DID NOT SHARE THE TICKET WITH ME ON REPAIRS THAT WERE COMPLETED TWO WEEKS BEFORE THE CAR EXPLODED. BUT THEY KEPT THE CAR FOR OVER ONE WEEK TO FIX THE ISSUE THAT CAUSED IT TO STOP PULLING WHILE DRIVING. THIS WAS THE FIRST LONG TRIP THAT I HAD TAKEN IN THE CAR. MY TWO PASSENGERS EXPERIENCED MILD BURNS BUT WE LOST ALL PERSONAL ITEMS IN THE CAR DUE TO THE SPEED THAT THE CAR BURNED. ALABAMA HIGHWAY PATROL WORKED THE EXPLOSION AND FIRE DEPARTMENT HAD TO WORK THE FIRE. STATE FARM ASSURED ME THAT THEY WOULD INVESTIGATE THE CAUSE OF THE FIRE BUT HAS JUST INFORMED ME THAT THEY DID NOT DO A THOROUGH INVESTIGATION. I HAVE WITNESS NAMES AND CONTACT INFORMATION AS WELL AS PHOTOGRAPHS THAT THEY TOOK AS THE CAR BURNED IF NEEDED. *TR