2011 Wrangler Fire

jake_jay

New member
We were coming home from a morning down at the beach and noticed some black smoke coming from under the hood, there were no warning lights on the dash so I didn’t think it’d be too serious. Jumped out to pop the hood and saw quite a bit of red fluid on the sand… and then the flames under the hood! Jumped on the radio and had a fire extinguisher there within the minute, but it made no difference, the fire just kept going. We tried using our drinking water to get the fire out and then when that didn’t work, we started shovelling sand into the engine bay to try to get the fire out, but it wouldn’t stop. Within 10 minutes the entire engine bay was on fire and after 20 minutes the whole car had gone up.

We contacted our insurance company, who arranged retrieval of the vehicle and then contacted Chrysler, who assured us there would been a full investigation.
Chrysler flew their investigator across the country to take a look at the remains and determine the cause of the fire. After no news for two weeks despite constant phone calls to Chrysler asking for an update the merely told us that the fire wasn’t a manufacturers defect and there was nothing they could do. When I asked what the cause of the fire was I was bluntly told that I “am not privy to that information” and that they were not legally obliged to disclose that information with us.

Our insurance company had already determined the car a write off but after a bit of prodding we convinced them to do their own investigation. Their investigator came to the conclusion that the fire had done too much damage to determine a cause or ignition source

The car was a 2011 Jeep Wrangler which done less than 28,000kms (17,500mi) and still had over a year left on the warranty. The car had no modifications of any kind and had only been serviced by the dealership it was purchased from.

We were absolutely appalled at how we were treated by Jeep. We would have expected that when a product that they sold exploded into a ball of flames there would have been some sympathy, or at least an effort to assist us recuperate our loss, but there was none. We were incredibly lucky that no one was injured in the fire and also that the incident happened in a location where it couldn’t do much damage to the surrounding area.
We were even more shocked to realise that this is a recurring issue with our model of Jeep!!

Whats up with this car?
 

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Sorry for your loss... that red fluid you saw was most likely transmission fluid

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S3 using Jeepz
 
Wow, that sucks. Sorry about your Jeep. I know there was a recall on some 2010 models due to fires but that obviously would not include yours.

Chrysler Group LLC is cooperating fully with NHTSA regarding an investigation into 2010 model year Jeep Wrangler vehicles. It is important to note that this is a preliminary investigation, not a recall.Chrysler Group is aware of a small number of incidents involving engine compartment fires in 2010 Jeep Wrangler vehicles. Vehicle fires are very complex and can occur for a number of reasons that have nothing to do with the vehicle itself. Poor maintenance, improper vehicle use or installation of aftermarket equipment often are causes of vehicle fires.
Chrysler Group is not aware of any accidents or injuries related to the 2010 Jeep Wrangler fires. Indeed, the 2010 Jeep Wrangler meets or exceeds all applicable federal safety standards and has an excellent safety record
 
So I just had a call out of the blue from the representative I was dealing with from Chrysler (it was about 10 minutes after I posted the photos to their facebook page). He told me that their report indicated that the cause of the fire was a branch stuck in the undercarriage...


A couple of thoughts from that:
- This is a direct contradiction of the report from the insurance company stating that the fire burned too hot to determine a cause.
- If this was indeed the cause, and after seeing the photos and the wreckage does anyone think that enough of a branch could have survived the blaze to determine it as an ignition source?




Is this just Chrysler's attempt to cover their asses?
 

sounds like a cover story. chrysler is trying to not have to pay for anything from stuff like this with their vehicles. you really have to get a bunch of people to make enough of a commotion for them to even think of doing anything and then they only do it to "save face". they are worthless, as a company.

our one chrysler, our 07 jku, is not nearly the jeep my 87 amc wrangler is.
 
Wow! Sorry to hear about your jeep. I just lost my LJ in an accident, so I can sympathize. Those are some awesome pics, tho, jaw dropping awesome. Crazy to have that happen to you! Glad you are okay.
 

My guess is the transmission fluid was introduced to the exhaust manifold. Di you have an auto and was is equip with a factory or aftermarket trans cooler? Also could have been powersteering fluid, both are "red."
 
When I first took my TJ offroading I could smell what seemed like burning transmission. I decided to be on the safe side, and installed an extra inline transmission cooler as well as a transmission temp gauge. Well, fast forward to the next time I was out - we were doing a simple trail ride, and I stayed in 4HI going slowly up some mountain trails for about an hour, and sure enough, the temperature gauge pegged all the way hot. I'm not talking about working the engine - I was going 5 mph or so, up a gentle grade.

My experience was that I couldn't run my jeep in 4wd for any extended period of time (1+ hour) at a slow speed.
 

This is one of those things that just makes your jaw drop in utter disbelief. I'm so sorry for your loss. I am even more sorry for the way you were treated.
If I may? I have alot of friends in the Jeep business and I'd like to foward this post to them for some insite. They will ask questions of gear settings, speed, tempature, time of day etc etc. Running in 4WD low on sand tends to cause overheating. The engine bay will get excessively hot. Some of the plastic components could suffer from tempatures exceeding their capabilities. I have seen this myself on a variety of vehicles.
 
Thankfully no one was harmed . But I agree , that's a fine way to treat someone who spent much money on their product and get told sorry , but we're not responsible , it was a tree branch ! Yeah , a tree branch , in the middle of a sand box ! And the roaring flames didn't consume it. You know the Chrysler tech is going to go back to corporate and suggest its just a high pressure power steering hose with a bad crimp . Easy and inexpensive fix on future assembly line build change. I hope rub1out can get his people to bit them back for the good of all jeep owners .
 
Hapened the same to me. I was driving from charleston SC to Greensboro NC and almost at home sudenly boom, my 2008 jeep wrangle unlimited X exploded. I'm lucky to survive.
I got the same letter from chrysler , exact the same.
I have pictures to share too.
moonraker64@gmail.com
 

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So I just had a call out of the blue from the representative I was dealing with from Chrysler (it was about 10 minutes after I posted the photos to their facebook page). He told me that their report indicated that the cause of the fire was a branch stuck in the undercarriage...


A couple of thoughts from that:
- This is a direct contradiction of the report from the insurance company stating that the fire burned too hot to determine a cause.
- If this was indeed the cause, and after seeing the photos and the wreckage does anyone think that enough of a branch could have survived the blaze to determine it as an ignition source?




Is this just Chrysler's attempt to cover their asses?

Look at the facts:
A leaking red liquid present at the scene.
smoke under hood
no indication/warning lights (this is where they would be afraid if pushed hard enough)
Picture evidence:
The pics show sand.
Perhaps dune grass.
They do not show trees.
No proof whatsoever of the suspect "branch"
which would have turned to straight ash anyway. So there goes that "expert" theory.

Never in the history of JEEP did they ever suggest a tree branch would turn this vehicle in to a ball of fire.
They boast of how rugged and durable they are. THESE WERE PREDECESSORS TO THE VEHICLE THAT SERVED OUR MILITARY FOR DECADES!
So what they just said to you was "Sorry Sir, but our vehicles are not built to withstand the harsh rigors of a tree branch and that our advertisements of extreme rugged outdoor usage is just for show to get you to buy them"

Logic would dictate you have a valid case against them and any tv cut rate attorney could win you a compensation package. I'd start with a hungry tv attorney. If a lady can sue McDonalds for coffee being too hot without a warning label...stands to reason you could sue Jeep for lack of warning labels against tree branches.
 
This is one of those things that just makes your jaw drop in utter disbelief. I'm so sorry for your loss. I am even more sorry for the way you were treated.
If I may? I have alot of friends in the Jeep business and I'd like to foward this post to them for some insite. They will ask questions of gear settings, speed, tempature, time of day etc etc. Running in 4WD low on sand tends to cause overheating. The engine bay will get excessively hot. Some of the plastic components could suffer from tempatures exceeding their capabilities. I have seen this myself on a variety of vehicles.

Sure man, feel free to pass these on to whomever you like. Can provide additional details as required.
 
me too

Happen the same thing to me.Chrysler say the same
 

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