NHTSA Complaint #10837474 — 2011 SUBARU OUTBACK

ASCENDED STEEP HILL AND STOPPED AT STOP SIGN. PROCESSED TO DRIVE THROUGH INTERSECTION UPHILL. ALL LIGHTS ON DASH BEGAN TO FLICKER ON AND OFF AND CAR STALLED OUT GOING DOWN THE ROAD. AFTER THIS OCCURRED, I LOST ALL ELECTRICAL FUNCTIONS OF CAR. I WAS NOT ABLE TO RESTART CAR, PLACE CAR INTO PARK, APPLY EMERGENCY BRAKE, TURN ON HAZARD LIGHTS, AND THE POWER BRAKES AND STEERING WERE NOT PRESENT. I SPENT 5-7 MINUTES TRYING TO RESTART THE CAR AND TRYING TO FIGURE OUT A WAY TO STABILIZE THE CAR SINCE I WAS CURRENTLY GOING DOWN A STEEP HILL WITHOUT ANYWAY OF STABILIZING IT. AFTER THIS TIME, SMOKE BEGAN COMING OUT FROM UNDER THE HOOD. I HAD TO COAST CAR DOWN HILL INTO BUSY INTERSECTION AND TURN IT ONTO NEXT ROAD IN ORDER TO FIND A FLAT AREA TO STABILIZE CAR SO I COULD GET OUT OF IT. WHEN I GOT OUT, I BEGAN SEEING FLAMES DROP DOWN FROM FRONT DRIVER SIDE OF ENGINE AREA. THE CAR QUICKLY CAUGHT ON FIRE AND MOST OF THE ENGINE BURNT OUT BEFORE FLAMES WERE EXTINGUISHED. THE FIRE APPEARED TO START IN COMPUTER AREA. THIS CAR WAS BOUGHT NEW AND HAVE HAD NO PREVIOUS PROBLEMS WITH THE CAR, EXCEPT WE HAVE HAD TO CHANGE THE LOW BEAM HEADLIGHT BULBS SEVERAL TIMES WHILE OWNING IT. AFTER I WITNESSED MY CAR CATCH ON FIRE AND AFTERWARDS DISCOVERED SUBARU HAS A SERVICE BULLETIN FOR THE TORQUE CONVERTER, I BELIEVE THE HEADLIGHT ISSUE AND THE TORQUE CONVERTER ISSUES ARE ALL CONNECTED. I BELIEVE WHAT HAPPENED TO MY CAR IS THE TORQUE CONVERTER FAILED THAT DAY CAUSING AN OVER VOLTAGE/OVER DRAW OF POWER THAT WAS SO BAD IT TOOK OUT MY COMPUTER UNIT, I THEN BELIEVE THE BATTERY CONTINUED TO FEED THE COMPUTER UNIT, IN ITS UNRESPONSIVE STATE, UNTIL IT CAUGHT ON FIRE. THE FIRE INSPECTOR TOLD ME SOMETIMES BULBS WILL BURNT OUT DUE TO AN OVER VOLTAGE SITUATION. SOMETHING IS DEFINITELY OVERDRAWING POWER AND IT NEEDS TO BE LOOKED INTO BECAUSE IT ENDANGERS EVERY DRIVER, PASSENGER, AND ANYONE AROUND THESE CARS.