# 2008 TOYOTA RAV4 — ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
> NHTSA complaint `934119` · 2012-08-14 · Toyota Motor Corporation
## Severity
- **Deaths:** 0
- **Injured:** 0
- **Fire:** Yes
- **Crash:** No
- **Police report:** No
- **Medical attention:** No
- **Vehicle towed:** No
## Vehicle
- **Make:** TOYOTA
- **Model:** RAV4
- **Year:** 2008
- **Manufacturer:** Toyota Motor Corporation
- **Component:** ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
- **Miles at failure:** 69,402
- **Speed:** 65 mph
## Narrative
APPROXIMATELY 5 MINUTES AFTER I STARTED UP MY CAR AND BEGAN DRIVING TODAY I BEGAN TO NOTICE A STRANGE AND STRONG ODOR.  I HAD MY DRIVER'S SIDE WINDOW DOWN (POWER WINDOWS) AND INITIALLY ATTRIBUTED THE ODOR TO A LARGE TRUCK THAT WAS SEVERAL CAR LENGTHS AHEAD OF ME.  I NOTICED THAT THE ODOR PERSISTED EVEN ONCE THE TRUCK WAS NO LONGER VISIBLE TO ME OR IN CLOSE PROXIMITY.  AT THAT POINT I THEN ENTERED ONTO A MAJOR HIGHWAY VIA THE ENTRANCE RAMP, AND GOT MY SPEED UP TO THE SPEED LIMIT OF 65 MILES PER HOUR.  AS I WAS DRIVING I NOTICED A LARGE AMOUNT OF SMOKE COMING UP FROM MY POWER WINDOW SWITCHES ON THE DRIVER'S DOOR.  IN ADDITION TO THE SMOKE I COULD SEE AN ACTUAL FLAME BURNING UNDERNEATH THE SWITCHES.  MY INITIAL RESPONSE WAS FEAR AND PANIC, BUT I WAS ABLE TO FIND A SAFE SPOT TO PULL OFF TO THE SIDE OF THE HIGHWAY AFTER A COUPLE OF MINUTES.  MY FIRST THOUGHT WAS TO DIAL 911, BUT I WAS AFRAID BY THE TIME SOMEONE ARRIVED THE CAR MIGHT BURST INTO FLAMES AND BLOW UP!! I IMMEDIATELY THOUGHT THAT I NEEDED TO TRY TO EXTINGUISH THE FIRE SOMEHOW AS MY CAR WAS FILLING WITH SMOKE AND THE ODOR WAS OVERWHELMING.  I QUICKLY LOOKED AROUND TO SEE IF I HAD ANY BOTTLED WATER IN THE CAR-BUT I DID NOT.  THE ONLY LIQUID I HAD ACCESSIBLE TO DOWSE THE FLAMES WAS MY ICED COFFEE-SO I POURED A SMALL AMOUNT OVER THE SMOKE AND FLAMES COMING FROM THE SWITCHES TO EXTINGUISH THE FIRE, BUT IT CONTINUED TO BURN.  I THEN PROCEEDED TO POUR HALF OF MY ICED COFFEE OVER THE SWITCHES WHICH DID FINALLY EXTINGUISH THE FI
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*Source: [NHTSA ODI](https://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/downloads/) · AI Analytics · CC0 1.0*