NHTSA Complaint #11194609 — 2018 HONDA ACCORD

THE CAR ENGINE CAUGHT FIRE FOR NO APPARENT REASON. IT HAPPENED ON MARCH 28 1:30PM WHEN I WAS DRIVING ON CALIFORNIA HIGHWAY 24. THE CAR HAS BEEN RUNNING ON HIGHWAY SPEED OF 65 MILES PER HOUR FOR ABOUT 15 MINUTES WHEN I FIRST SMELLED SOMETHING IS BURNING. I THEN SAW SMOKE COMING OUT FROM THE FRONT SECTION OF THE CAR. I IMMEDIATELY CHANGED LANES TO THE SIDE OF THE FREEWAY AND ATTEMPTED TO STOPPED THE CAR BY PRESSING THE FOOT BRAKE. THE CAR HAS SIGNIFICANTLY SLOW DOWN BUT IT WAS CONTINUED ROWING FORWARD. IT IS ON A SLIGHTLY DOWNHILL SLOP. AS SEEING SMOKE GETTING DARKER AND MORE STRONG, I PRESSED THE PARKING BRAKE AND THE CAR STILL WOULD NOT STOPPED. I THEN OPENED THE CAR DOOR AND ROWED OUT FROM THE CAR ONTO THE HIGHWAY. FORTUNATELY THERE WAS NO CAR AND I WAS OK. I THEN CALLED 911 TO HAVE FIRE DEPARTMENT PUT OUT THE FIRE. THE CAR WAS TOTALED. I HAVE 2 CONCERNS. MY CAR WAS JUST 16 MONTHS OLD WHEN IT HAPPENED. THERE WAS NO WARNING LIGHT ON BEFORE IT HAPPENED AND WE HAVE FOLLOWED THE SERVICE SCHEDULE. HOW CAN SOMETHING LIKE THIS CAN HAPPEN TO A RELATIVELY NEW CAR AND PERFECT SERVICE RECORD. THE OTHER CONCERN IS WHEN THE CAR WAS ON FIRE, BOTH THE FOOT BREAK AND PARKING BREAK COULD NOT STOPPED THE CAR FROM MOVING. HAS THIS HAPPENED IN A UPHILL OR DOWN HILL SLOP, I WOULD BE AT GREAT RISK.