INCIDENT TOOK PLACE ON 12/02/2011. AFTER WORK I WAS DRIVING SOUTH ON THE 405 FREEWAY IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA. I WAS IN LEFT LANE GOING APPROXIMATELY 60 MILES PER HOUR WHEN THE CAR LOST POWER AND I COULD NO LONGER ACCELERATE. SMOKE STARTED TO COME UP FROM THE HOOD OF THE CAR. I IMMEDIATELY PUT ON MY HAZARD LIGHTS AND TRIED TO MAKE MY WAY TO THE RIGHT SHOULDER ON THE FREEWAY. THE ONLY LANE TO THE LEFT OF ME WAS THE CARPOOL LANE. IT WAS DURING A HEAVY TRAFFIC TIME AND I WAS NEARLY REAR-ENDED SEVERAL TIMES AS I TRIED TO GET TO THE SHOULDER ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE FREEWAY WITHOUT THE ABILITY TO ACCELERATE. THIS ENTIRE TIME THE CAR WAS GETTING SMOKY AND IT WAS HARD TO SEE AND BREATHE. CARS WERE HONKING AT ME AND ONE CAR PULLED UP NEXT TO ME AND YELLED AT ME THAT THERE WERE FLAMES COMING FROM MY CAR AND THE CAR WAS ON FIRE AND I NEEDED TO GET OUT IMMEDIATELY. I BARELY MADE IT TO THE SIDE OF THE FREEWAY AND PARKED AND GOT OUT OF MY CAR. I COULD SEE SMOKE AND FLAMES COMING FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE CAR NEAR THE ENGINE. ONE TRUCK WITH TWO MEN INSIDE PULLED OVER TO HELP ME. I USED A FIRE EXTINGUISHER I HAD IN THE CAR TO PUT OUT FIRE. THE TOW TRUCK TOWED MY CAR TO LOCAL FORD DEALER. THE DEALER TOLD ME THAT THE GEARS INSIDE THE HYBRID POWER UNIT CAME APART AND BROKE. THEN TRANSMISSION FLUIDS LEAKED ONTO THE EXHAUST AND BURST INTO FLAMES. MY SERVICE ADVISER BRIAN SAID THAT THEY DOCUMENTED THAT THERE WERE FLAMES AS A RESULT OF THIS. HE ALSO SAID HE DID NOT KNOW WHY A CAR