Dash destroyed in electrical fire.

[YarisSedan]

Originally Posted by contraband831

It looks like the fire started here, so i will ask this again to the OP: is this a flashlight?? if so this could have caused the fire, the batteries where exposed to extreme heat. It looks like the fire traveled up form this point destroying your dash and gauge cluster.
Attachment 10933

I think you are right. I think there is a warning on most batterys do no leave in sun or prolong heat.

Atleast you were not inside the car driving while it caught on fire and no one was hurt.

Dealership is probally not going to try to accept blame on it so either way if you have full coverage insurance you are covered. Now you can get a 09 yaris =)

[stran]

Holy Smokes! (no pun intended ;))

If someone has time, they can look through the service manual and figure out what's actually behind the dash. If the ignition is off, most of the wires will not be live, so that would narrow down what could cause the fire.

I don't think the flashlight is a cause. Only lithium batteries will vent flames, and I really doubt that flashlight used lithiums. Alkaline batteries might explode and release hydrogen gas but won't start a fire.

Best of luck getting Toyota to cover the damage. Let us know what happens.

[purpleminx]

Originally Posted by *MAD DOG*

That is one messed up Yaris. Just a few questions, you say "...drove to where we were going..." To me that indicates that you had at least one other passenger in the car, right?

Do they smoke?

Could they have left something on the passenger side of the car?

What brightness setting did you have the speedo on?

It really is unusual for a Toyota to catch fire. I hope it all gets sorted out in your favor.

They smoke, but like I said, we didn't smoke in the car that day. I'm not sure if they left anything in the car, but if they did, and it's recognisably theirs, and I'm presented with it as being the cause.... God help me.

The brightness setting was on default.

Originally Posted by cleong

If you're in Brisbane and the car has to go to the scrapyard, I'd be interested in buying the steering column off you. Australian Yarii steering wheels are adjustable for tilt and reach, aren't they?

I am in Brisbane, actually. The car is sitting in the Morningside Downtown Toyota Service Centre right now. Called them yesterday, apparantly it's caused quite the stir. It's definitely a write off, so I'll see what I want to do with the leftovers after all this is done.

Originally Posted by contraband831

It looks like the fire started here, so i will ask this again to the OP: is this a flashlight?? if so this could have caused the fire, the batteries where exposed to extreme heat. It looks like the fire traveled up form this point destroying your dash and gauge cluster.

The car wasn't exposed to prolonged or extreme heat. It was left sitting there for maybe 20 minutes max. While it was a moderately hot and sunny day, it was partially shaded by a tree, especially on the passenger side. I refuse to believe that it was the torch. If it was, that area of the car would have sustained so much more damage. The damage that is down there is basically just melted dash thats dripped onto the torch.

I think it had to have been something further up in the dash. Not the storage compartments, not down where the torch is. The heat had to have been extreme where the dash is melted away and the wires are all exposed. Look what it did to the windshield.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...0102008074.jpg

The plastic is so tough that if you look closely at the pictures in my first post, you can see that the rear view mirror actually touches the drivers side floor now. I don't think a torch could start the kind of fire or heat necessary to light the dash on fire.

Then again, I admittedly, don't know that much about cars.

Originally Posted by stran

If someone has time, they can look through the service manual and figure out what's actually behind the dash. If the ignition is off, most of the wires will not be live, so that would narrow down what could cause the fire.

From the extent of the damage and the time that it would have taken to get like that, I'm assuming that the problem actually started towards the end of my journey, probably before I turned the car off and got out.

[stran]

Hmmm, thinking about this some more, there are two variables to measure flames: heat and temperature.

A large wood fire would have a lot of heat but low temperature. An acetylene torch would have very high temperatures but low heat. In order for a fire to start, the temperature of the flame must be above the ignition point of the fuel and there must be enough heat to raise the fuel to that temperature.

A cigarette butt would have temps up to 1300F. An electric spark, judging by its blue color, could have temperature well over 3000F. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fire

Here is a good link to fire forensics. http://www.tcforensic.com.au/docs/article10.html Though the cigarette butt has the sufficient temperature to ignite plastic, I doubt it has enough heat. Electric sparks on the other hand, is powered by the battery, which as +100 watt*hr of power.

[Red Horse]

Maybe a Spontaneous Combustion..

http://science.howstuffworks.com/shc.htm/printable

[Bob_VT]

Okay...... here is an experiment that people will try but I will warn you in advance ...... this is usually accompanied with KIDS DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME!!!

Batteries are dangerous regardless of size.

Get a 9 volt battery and some fine steel wool....... grab a chunk of steel wool and fluff it up to about the size of a golfball. Now touch the steel wool with the 9 volt battery (you might want to wear gloves) and make contact with both + and - on the 9 volt. Near instant fire! Thin wires burn very easy and considering there is 12V in the dash and tin wires..... you get the picture. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KvDBtBUfk_I

Now go clean out the junk draw in the kitchen or workbench and make sure you do not have any old batteries stored near steel wool.

[cleong]

Actually this car looks like a repairable writeoff.

If Toyota won't cover this car, you might want to explore the possibility of locating a repairable writeoff donor in a wrecking yard yourself and grab as much of the interior as you can, because yours will be smoke damaged. With the exception of the top dash panel through which the passenger side airbag blows, the rest of the dash usually don't get damaged in an accident too badly. After removing the burnt stuff, it should be fairly easy to repair or replace what's you need.

And you definitely need a new window. By the way, what trim is your car, YR, YRS or YRX?

Good luck. I spent quite a bit of time crawling through wrecked cars looking for parts myself. If nothing else usually you can come away with a pocketful of automotive fuses.

[Stargate YARlantIS]

Was there any aftermarket sound system?? maybe faulty wiring?

[purpleminx]

Originally Posted by cleong

Actually this car looks like a repairable writeoff.

If Toyota won't cover this car, you might want to explore the possibility of locating a repairable writeoff donor in a wrecking yard yourself and grab as much of the interior as you can, because yours will be smoke damaged. With the exception of the top dash panel through which the passenger side airbag blows, the rest of the dash usually don't get damaged in an accident too badly. After removing the burnt stuff, it should be fairly easy to repair or replace what's you need.

And you definitely need a new window. By the way, what trim is your car, YR, YRS or YRX?

Good luck. I spent quite a bit of time crawling through wrecked cars looking for parts myself. If nothing else usually you can come away with a pocketful of automotive fuses.

It's insured, so even if Toyota doesn't take the blame, my insurance company will replace it. They're the ones who told me to get Toyota to tow it over to their workshop, actually.

My car was a YR.

Originally Posted by Stargate YARlantIS

Was there any aftermarket sound system?? maybe faulty wiring?

No, all Toyota. Like I said, I never installed anything, never changed anything, and all services were done by Toyota.

[PetersRedYaris]

Originally Posted by TinyGiant

lol if they total it see if you can pay the salvage fee and keep it and part the sucker out... usually if the ins totals the car you can buy it back for $50 bux.

Seriously? Where in God's name did you hear this? Salvaged cars go to auctions where they are sold to the highest bidder, unless the insurance company has it on a call (basically a reserve that wasn't met). I've seen vehicles sell anywhere between $25 and $25,000+.

Insurance companies are in the business of making money, or saving money. What will cost them less money? Fixing your wrecked car, or buying it from you and selling it at auction to repay some of the cost? The option that costs them less money is what they will do.

They don't simple sell them back at $25 a pop...

[rob323]

I was bidding on a repairable write off Echo which had fresh water flood damage up to windscreen height (therefore engine and ecu stuffed, body work perfect), I stopped bidding at a grand, it went for almost $4000 to a wrecker.

[b_hickman11]

did you have a cabin air filter????

[ozmdd]

I have to seriously contest the flashlight battery theory. A couple of problems: there should be soot/melting directly above the flashlight, and the tray itself should have melted substantially; the flashlight should show significant damage, yet appears basically unscathed. Also, that flashlight appears to be one of the aluminum screw-together type, which would be at least semi-waterproof. It would need to burst somewhere at its seams or at the lens, which also doesn't appear to have happened. Finally, alkaline batteries are safe at temperatures of 180 degrees Farenheit plus, and it would be tough to produce that even here in Dallas in August.

Anecdotally, I have kept a mini maglight and a 6V lantern in my car/trunk for most of the past 20 years in Texas, including in a black CRV, and never had the slightest hint of heat damage/leakage/combustion. Also, my brother used a maglight in Afghanistan and Iraq, where temperatures routinely exceeded 120 degrees farenheit AIR temp. No idea what that translates to inside a dark-colored, armored and sealed HumVee sitting in the sun all day, but no flashlights exploded.
One other thing: I don;t know about Aussie Toyotas, but US Yarii have the 12V outlet wired to the ignition, so no power would flow to the GPS when the key was out.

[darthbauer]

Did you have a car charger for your mobile phone in there?

I remember one time with my old Accord that it got so hot it sparked. I unplugged it and never used it in the car again.

[rob323]

Originally Posted by ozmdd

One other thing: I don;t know about Aussie Toyotas, but US Yarii have the 12V outlet wired to the ignition, so no power would flow to the GPS when the key was out.

That is the case in Australia as well.

[auxmike]

Did the flashlight use Lithium batteries?
I have a small Streamlight Scorpion in my glovebox right now. I left it on while it was standing upright on it's lens on a table, the lens started to melt! Those lights run HOT. After seeing this, I'm removing my Scorp from the car in the morning.....

[SilverBack]

Damn that sucks! Sorry to hear about it.

Noticed that there was a cell phone charger plugged in. Did you leave your phone hooked up to it? Ask because the back of my phone gets kinda hot when it's been charging for an hour or so. Just a possibility...

[purpleminx]

Originally Posted by auxmike

Did the flashlight use Lithium batteries?

No, and it was nothing to do with the flashlight.

Originally Posted by k r a y z e e . j o j o

Did you leave your phone hooked up to it? Ask because the back of my phone gets kinda hot when it's been charging for an hour or so. Just a possibility...

No, and it didn't have power going through the cable anyway, considering I was not in the car, so the keys weren't either ;)


Very close right now to finding the cause. Will definitely post their answers.