NHTSA Complaint #11005614 — 2009 JEEP LIBERTY

ON FRIDAY, 07.07.2017, AS I WAS DRIVING INTO A TURN LANE FROM THE HWY, I HAD SLOWED WAY DOWN FOR TRAFFIC THEN PICKED UP SPEED SLIGHTLY, NOT EVEN 10 MPH, TO FOLLOW CARS IN THE TURN LANE WHEN THE ACCELERATOR BECAME SLUGGISH AND THE JEEP CAME TO A STOP. AS I PRESSED THE ACCELERATOR AGAIN THERE WAS A VERY LOUD POP FROM UNDER THE HOOD. EVERYTHING QUIT, THE ENGINE, THE ELECTRIC, THE STARTER WOULD NOT TURN OVER WHEN I TRIED TO START IT AGAIN OR THE EMERGENCY FLASHERS. JUST BEFORE THIS HAPPENED THE ENGINE LIGHT AND, WHAT I FOUND OUT LATER, THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE CONTROL LIGHT CAME ON. I WAS CONFUSED AT WHAT JUST HAPPENED. THINKING WHAT I SAW NEXT WAS STEAM COMING FROM UNDER THE JEEP WAS STEAM I POPPED THE HOOD TO GO LOOK. THERE WAS TRAFFIC ALL AROUND ON THE HWY. ONCE I OPENED THE HOOD I FOUND THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT WAS ON FIRE, BACK AGAINST THE FIREWALL BETWEEN THE ENGINE AND THE STEERING COLUMN, BEHIND THE BATTERY. THE FIRE GOT BIGGER ONCE THE HOOD WAS OPEN, IT SPREAD VERY FAST. PEOPLE IN OTHER CARS WERE YELLING AND A GUY STOPPED TO HELP ME AND TOLD ME TO GET AWAY FROM THE JEEP BECAUSE IT WAS GAS THAT WAS BURNING. THE FIRE DEPT WAS CALLED YET BY THE TIME THEY GOT THERE THE WHOLE FRONT END OF THE JEEP WAS DESTROYED.