NHTSA Complaint #701586 — 1997 CHEVROLET TAHOE

ON 3/24/98 MY 1997 CHEVROLET TAHOU WAS 10 MONTHS OLD WITH 5400 MILES ON IT WHEN THE TRUCK CAUGHT FIRE UNDER THE DRIVER'S SIDE DASH WHILE I WAS DRIVING AND WAS TOTALLY DISTROYED. WHEN THE FIRE STARTED IT WAS LATE ON MY WAY HOME FROM A MOVIE WITH MY WIFE . WE SMELLED SMOKE AND I STOPPED BUT COULDN'T FIND ANYTHING. WE HAD GONE A LITTLE DISTANCE WHEN FIRE STARTED FALLING AT MY FEET, I RAN OFF THE ROAD AND HIT SOME SMALL TREES TO TRY TO STOP THE TRUCK THEN TRUNED ACROSS THE ROAD AND FINILLY HIT A TREE BIG ENOUGH TO STOP THE TRUCH. WHERE I GOT OUT AND HAD TO PULL MY WIFE OUT AND CALLED 911 ON MY CEL PHONE. MY WIFE HAD HIT HER HEAD AND WAS A LITTLLE OUT OF IT AND PASSED OUT ON THE GROUND. SHE PASSED OUT AGAIN JUST BEFORE THE MEDICS GOT THERE. THE TRUCK CONTENUIED TO BURN UNTILL THE FIRE DEPT. GOT THERE TO PUT IT OUT. GM CLAIMS THAT THERE HAS NOT BEEN ANY OTHER CLAIMS OF CHEVROLET TRUCKS CATCHING FIRE FROM THE DASH IN '97 OR ANY OTHER LATER YEAR TRUCKS AND WOULD NOT TAKE ANY RESPONCEALILITY FOR THE FIRE. IF THERE ARE ANY OTHER PEOPLE WHO HAVE HAD ANY THING LIKE THIS PLEASE LET ME KNOW. R.W. PARKER