NHTSA Complaint #11093483 — 2012 TOYOTA CAMRY

DRIVING CAR AND I WAS STOPPED AT INTERSECTION ON A FOGGY MORNING ABOUT 6:15 AM. WENT TO TURN RIGHT AT INTERSECTION AND SAW WHAT I THOUGHT WAS A DENSE AMOUNT OF FOG FLOW ACROSS THE FRONT OF MY CAR. AS I DROVE DOWN THE ROAD, I SMELLED SOMETHING BURNING, SAW SOME SMOKE FROM UNDER THE FRONT HOOD. AN ALARM WENT OF AND MY DASH DISPLAYED THE WARNING HYBRID SYSTEM MALFUNCTION. THEN FIRE STARTED COMING OUT FROM UNDER THE HOOD AND UP ALONG THE FRONT WINDSHIELD. I WAS JUST PASSING A GAS STATION AT THE TIME SO I CONTINUE TO DRIVE DOWN PASS THE GAS STATION AND THEN PULLED THE CAR OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND EXISTED THE CAR. THE NEAREST FIRE COMPANY WAS OUT ON A CALL, SO THE CAR CONTINUED TO BURN FOR ABOUT 30 MINUTES. AS A RESULT THE ENTIRE FRONT HALF OF THE CAR WAS COMPLETING BURNT. HAD NO PROBLEMS WITH THE CAR PRIOR TO THIS FIRE. IN FACT, I DROVE IT 176 MILES THE NIGHT BEFORE THE FIRE. LEARNED AFTER I EXISTED THE CAR WHILE IT WAS ON FIRE, THAT A DRIVER COMING UP THE ROAD BEHIND ME AFTER I TURNED AT THE INTERSECTION, NOTICED SPARKS AND/OR FLAMES SHOOTING OUT FROM UNDER MY CAR. SHE WAS FLASHING HER HEADLIGHTS AT ME, BUT I DID NOT NOTICE HER.