NHTSA Complaint #732797 — 1995 LEXUS ES300

THE DEALERSHIP DOES NOT KNOW HOW THE FIRE BEGAN OR WHY THERE WAS A FIRE AFTER I HAD TO PAY FOR THE TEARDOWN. THEY WERE NOT INTERESTED IN THE FACT THAT I COULD HAVE BURNED UP WHILE RIDING IN THE MOVING VEHICLE ALONG WITH MY SISTER. THERE WAS NO WARNING WHATSOEVER. NO LIGHTS WERE SHOWN ON THE DASHBOARD, NO KNOCKING SOUND BEFORE THE ROD BLEW, NO OVERHEATING INDICATGOR SHOWED, PLENTY OF OIL IN THE ENGINE. THE CAR WAS VERY WELL SERVICED AND ONLY BY A LEXUS CERTIFIED TECHNICIAN. THE REPORT SHOWED THAT IN 6/99 AN OIL LEAK WAS CHECKED BY TWO DEALERSHIPS IN DALLAS. THEY FOUND NOTHING, YET, A YEAR LATER, THERE WAS SMUDGE IN THE ENGINE CAUSING THE EXHAUST TO GET TOO HOT AND START THE FIRE. THE DENTON FIRE DEPARTMENT EXAMINED THE CAR AND SAW NO OIL SPLATTERED OR CLOGGED IN THE ENGINE AND NEITHER DID I OR MY SISTER (ELMERINE BURTON). IN FACT, THE TOP OF THE ENGINE WAS VERY CLEAN. ONLY THE BOTTOM WAS BURNED AND A HOLE WAS IN THE ENGINE. THE GRASS CAUGHT FIRE FROM THE OIL LEAKAGE, FIRE TRAILED UNDERNEATH THE ENTIRE CAR BURNING LIKE THE STEM FROM DYNAMITE. I JUST KNEW THE CAR WAS TO BLOW FROM THE GAS TANK , FOR THE ENTIRE CAR WAS ON FIRE UNDERNEATH. TRAFFIC WAS A STEADY STREAM FROM THE TIME WE LEFT TULSA ON NORTH AND SOUTH BOUND LANES WITH BOTH LANES PACKED. IT WAS AS IF HOLIDAY TRAFFIC WAS TRAVELING. IT WAS 6PM WHEN THE ENGINE BLUE AND THE RUSH HOUR WAS ALSO ON THE HIGHWAY. THE SAFETY OF MANY VEHICLES ALONG WITH PASSENGERS WERE AT STAKE IF THE CAR WOULD HAVE EXOLODED FOR WE DID NOT MOVE OVER VERY FAR INTO THE CENTER GRASSY MEDIAN. LEXUS HEADQUARTERS SAYS THIS HAS NEVER HAPPENED TO "ANY" OF THEIR AUTOS BEFORE. PAY THE DEALERSHIP TO INVESTIGATE THE CAUSE OF THE FIRE WHILE DRIVING ON HIGHWAY I-35 SOUTH TO DALLAS , ENTERING DENTON, 45 MI. FROM DALLAS, TRAVELING FROM TULSA, OK.*AK