NHTSA Complaint #727904 — 2000 CHEVROLET VENTURE

CAN SEND A MORE READABLE VERSION ON REQUEST. I'D LIKE TO POINT OUT A VERY REAL AND DANGEROUS ISSUE WITH CHEVROLET VENTURES. WE BOUGHT A 2000 MODEL THIS SPRING. WHILE TRAVELING ONE DAY, MY WIFE AND I, IN THE FRONT SEATS, THOUGHT WE SMELLED SMOKE. WE FIGURED THAT A VEHICLE THAT PASSED US ON THE INTERSTATE WAS SPEWING FUMES, SO WE DIDN'T REALLY THINK IT WAS ANYTHING SERIOUS. A FEW SECONDS LATER, SMOKE STARTING POURING OUT OF THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT! I YELLED AT MY WIFE TO PULL OVER, AND SHE AND OUR THREE CHILDREN IMMEDIATELY EVACUATED THE VEHICLE. I STOOD BY THE PASSENGER DOOR, TRYING TO FIND THE SOURCE OF THIS SMOKE, WHICH WAS POURING OUT FROM THE FRONT AND THE BACK OF THE SEAT. I PULLED OUT THE STORAGE DRAWER UNDER THE SEAT, EXPECTING SOMETHING THERE. IT WAS AT THAT POINT THAT I LOOKED BEHIND THE SEAT, SO SEE THE ENTIRE BOTTOM OF THE SEAT GLOWING BRIGHT ORANGE FROM OPEN FLAMES. INSTINCT TOOK OVER AT THAT POINT, AND I VERY QUICKLY PULLED OUT THE CONTENTS UNDER THE SEAT - A CHILD'S BOOK, A SPIRAL-BOUND NOTEBOOK, AND A NYLON SEAT-BELT COVER DESIGNED FOR CHILDREN. I THEN BEGAN STAMPING OUT THE ITEMS AND THE BURNING CARPET WITH MY SHOES AND BARE HANDS. ALL OF THIS TOOK, AT MOST, 15-20 SECONDS. MY WIFE SUCCESSFULLY PULLED THE CHILDREN VERY FAR AWAY FROM THE VEHICLE, FOR FEAR OF THE FIRE SPREADING, AND MAYBE EVEN CAUSING AN EXPLOSION. HAD I THOUGHT ABOUT MY ACTIONS RATHER THAN REACTING BY INSTINCT, I PROBABLY SHOULD HAVE LEFT THE VEHICLE AS WELL. THE CAUSE? THERE ARE SEVERAL CONNECTORS UNDER THE FRONT SEATS OF THE CHEVY VENTURE. ON OUR VAN, THE SETS OF BLACK CONNECTORS ARE NOT USED. (I WOULD GUESS THEY ARE FOR POWER SEATS, WHICH WE DO NOT HAVE). AT ANY RATE, THESE CONNECTORS ARE "HOT" (MEANING THERE IS A VOLTAGE PRESENT ON THE PINS OF THE CONNECTORS) AND NOT COVERED IN ANY WAY. WHEN MY DAUGHTER STOPPED DRAWING IN HER SPIRAL-BOUND NOTEBOOK, IT FELL OFF THE SEAT, AND LANDED UNDER THE FRONT SEAT. THE WIRE IN THE NOTEBOOK CREATED A SHORT BETWEEN THE UNPR.