# 2008 FORD EDGE — ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:12V/24V/48V BATTERY
> NHTSA complaint `1926259` · 2023-09-08 · Ford Motor Company
## Severity
- **Deaths:** 0
- **Injured:** 0
- **Fire:** Yes
- **Crash:** No
- **Police report:** No
- **Medical attention:** No
- **Vehicle towed:** No
## Vehicle
- **Make:** FORD
- **Model:** EDGE
- **Year:** 2008
- **Manufacturer:** Ford Motor Company
- **Component:** ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:12V/24V/48V BATTERY
## Narrative
Purchased a duralast battery from AutoZone store #1299 in Hialeah in August 3rd and installed it. The staff was insistent that this battery was a direct replacement part for my lead acid battery. The car drove normally for approximately a month, and on the morning of September 6th started normally with no warning lights. After being driven less than a quarter mile, in slow-moving traffic, the car suddenly lost all power and large amounts of smoke came from under the hood accompanied by a burning smell. This happened in an intersection during 830 AM traffic on a weekday and I was unable to immediately exit the vehicle. This could have been a fatal incident for myself or potentially others.     It was towed to a mechanic who started disassembling it to determine the damages. As per the mechanic, there is evidence of an electrical fire -  the cables connected to the battery have melted and the alternator (which was TESTED AND INSTALLED BRAND NEW LESS THAN 2 YEARS AGO) are damaged. The mechanics have also stated that the fans and cooling system have been affected, but not to what extent as they are still mid-teardown. When they attempted to put a load on the battery, it began to overheat dangerously, and they state that it is the likely culprit of the fire.    I attempted to return the battery to the store I had purchased it at, where the staff were verbally abusive and insisting that it was impossible for a battery to cause an electrical fire and they'd never heard of such a thi
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*Source: [NHTSA ODI](https://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/downloads/) · AI Analytics · CC0 1.0*