NHTSA Complaint #10524024 — 2007 ACURA TL

VEHICLE WAS PARKED IN DRIVEWAY; HAD NOT BEEN DRIVEN FOR 2 HOURS. HEARD A POUNDING, HAMMERING NOISE FROM INSIDE MY HOUSE AND WHEN I ENTERED THE DRIVEWAY THE VEHICLE'S ENGINE WAS RUNNING, ALTHOUGH IT WAS A VERY ROUGH IDLE. THERE WAS A SMELL OF SOMETHING BURNING COMING FROM UNDERNEATH THE HOOD. I INSERTED THE KEY INTO THE IGNITION TO TURN OFF THE ENGINE BUT SINCE THE IGNITION WAS NOT IN THE ON, OR RUN, POSITION, TO BEGIN WITH, THE KEY HAD NO EFFECT ON THE ENGINE (THAT IS, I COULD NEITHER TURN THE ENGINE OFF NOR ON, USING THE KEY), AND THE VEHICLE CONTINUED TO ROUGHLY RUN. I THEN CALLED THE FIRE DEPARTMENT BUT THE VEHICLE HAD STOPPED RUNNING WHEN THEY ARRIVED. HOWEVER, THE FAN WAS RUNNING AND THEY THOUGHT THAT WAS NATURAL AFTER THE ENGINE HAD SHUT OFF. I TOLD THEM THAT THIS VEHICLE HAD NEVER HAD THE FAN RUN AFTER THE IGNITION WAS TURNED OFF, THAT IT DID NOT HAVE A REMOTE STARTER (THEY ASKED), AND THAT IT HAD REALLY STARTED BY ITSELF. THEY SAID THE SMELL WAS A RESULT OF AN ELECTRICAL FIRE IN THE ENGINE AND THEY DISCONNECTED THE BATTERY SO THAT THE PROBLEM DID NOT RECUR. THERE WERE NO VISIBLE FLAMES AND THE VEHICLE HAS NOT YET BEEN EXAMINED FOR DAMAGE AS THE INCIDENT OCCURRED JUST A FEW HOURS AGO. I AM THE ORIGINAL OWNER OF THE VEHICLE (6 YEARS). *TR