NHTSA Complaint #11673624 — 2019 GMC SIERRA 3500

The contact owned a 2019 GMC Sierra 3500. The contact stated while driving at approximately 45 MPH, the vehicle went into “Engine Power Reduced Mode” and the contact attempted to pull over to the side of the road, but the contact stated that the battery went dead and the vehicle shutoff. The contact shifted to park(P) and attempted to restart the vehicle; however, the vehicle failed to restart, and smoke started coming from under the hood. The contact stopped attempting to restart the vehicle, and exited the vehicle and raised the hood, and the vehicle was on fire in the engine compartment on the left side of the firewall. The contact stated that there was gray and white smoke coming from the vehicle and an odor of electrical wires burning. The contact attempted to reach for a fire extinguisher but was informed by another driver who had stopped to see if the contact needed assistance, to step away from the vehicle. The other driver saw the flames coming from the engine compartment and told the contact to step away from the vehicle because it was unsafe to attempt to extinguish the flames, and the engine compartment became engulfed in flames. The Fire Department was contacted and arrived on scene and extinguished the fire. The contact stated that the front end of the vehicle and the front bumper, hood, engine, and engine components were damaged by the fire. Additionally, the front windshield was severely damaged. The vehicle was towed to an impound lot and declared a total loss by the Insurance provider. The contact stated that the Fire Department filed an incident report. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The contact related the failure and the fire to NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V496000 (Equipment) which was associated with the VIN. The failure mileage was approximately 242,000.