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2000 CHRYSLER TOWN AND COUNTRY — SEATS:FRONT ASSEMBLY:SEAT HEATER/COOLER

fire · 390203 · 2003-01-21

Vehicle

Make
CHRYSLER
Model
TOWN AND COUNTRY
Year
2000
Manufacturer
Chrysler (FCA US, LLC)
Component
SEATS:FRONT ASSEMBLY:SEAT HEATER/COOLER
Miles at failure
57,257

Severity

Deaths
0
Injured
0
Fire
Yes
Crash
No
Police report
No
Medical attention
No
Vehicle towed
No

Narrative

2000 CHRYSLER TOWN& COUNTRY (LIMITED) OWED FOR 2 YEARS 11 MONTHS, 57300 MILES -I WENT TO MY VEHICLE TO RUN AN ERRAND. WHILE SITTING IN MY DRIVEWAY, I TURNED ON THE SEAT HEATER TO WARM IT UP DUE TO THE SEVERE COLD. THE SEAT BEGAN TO SMOKE AND BURNED THROUGH THE LEATHER SEAT. I IMMEDIATELY TURNED OFF THE SEAT HEATER AND SAW GLOWING EMBERS AROUND THE HOLE THAT WAS CREATED FROM A HIGH HEAT SOURCE. I TURNED SEAT HEATER BACK ON TO CONFIRM THE SOURCE OF THE GLOWING EMBERS. SPARKS BEGAN TO SHOT OUT OF HOLE IN BURNT LEATHER SEAT. MY THOUGHTS ARE THAT SOMETHING IN THE HEATER CAUSED THE SMOKE AND GLOWING EMBERS. ALTHOUGH, THIS CAR HAS HIGH MILEAGE, THE LEATHER SEATS ARE IN EXCELLENT CONDITION. I WOULD EXPECT THAT THE SEAT HEATER WOULD BE REASONABLY DURABLE. THIS CAR HAS THE CHRYSLER BASIC WARRANTY, BUT THE ISSUE OF SAFETY/HAZARD CANNOT BE DENIED. IF THIS HAD BEEN THE PASSENGERS SEAT WITH A CHILD, INSTEAD OF AN ADULT, THE OUTCOME MAY HAVE BEEN COMPLETELY DIFFERENT. ALSO, IF I HAD BEEN DRIVING IN HEAVY TRAFFIC ON THE INTERSTATE (MY ROUTE TO WORK IS VA INTERSTATE 66 AND IS USUALLY VERY HEAVILY TRAVELED) I MIGHT NOT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO GET TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD SAFELY. NOTE, DURING THIS EVENT, NO FUSES BURNED OUT TO MY KNOWLEDGE.

Source

Authoritative
NHTSA ODI Flat-File Downloads
ODI Number
10003137
Machine
JSON-LD · Markdown