Kimberly of Pasadena, MD, writes:
I bought a 2001 Montero Limited SUV at the end of April 2000. In late September I took my truck to the dealers' service dept. complaining of a noise coming from the engine that sounded peculiar. The service manager person, "Al," said that the power steering pump needed to be replaced (already?) and said that the engine was "messier" than it should be for such a new vehicle. On Monday Oct. 2 I dropped my vehicle off for service. I was supposed to pick it up later that same day, but Al called me and said that the wrong part came in and it would need another day for service so they could get the right part in. So, I picked up my truck on Tuesday evening.

The following Sunday at 2:30 in the morning (I hadn't driven it since Saturday mid-day), I was awakened by an EXPLOSION in the driveway! I looked out my window and the whole front of my car and carport were engulfed in flames. In a panic, I dialed 911, snatched my 8-year-old boy from bed, grabbed my dog and ran out the back door of my home. My front door was way too close to the car and the house! I couldn't have told you at that moment that my car or house wasn't being BOMBED!!! It was terrifying and my son was visibly shaken!

We sat out back of my house listening to a few more exploding sounds waiting for the fire department. My neighbors were quickly hosing down my home and carport roof trying to salvage it. The fire department arrived and put out the flames. The foreman fire person asked me several questions (if I recently had any work done on the vehicle etc) and he pointed to a place in my engine where he said that the fire appears to have originated. This was the same location where the new steering pump had been installed.

My insurance company towed the truck out of my driveway the very next day to begin an investigation. Foul play was quickly ruled out. The investigation continued. Mitsubishi called me a few days later for questions. I asked them their plan and I was informed the they were waiting for the results of Allstate's investigation.

The decision finally came down the pike. All fingers pointed to the dealer and the mechanic that worked on my truck ... in short-crimping a wire. I called the dealer direct at this point and explained that I have been very patient. My requests were simple -- compensate me for my losses not covered by insurance (my time and inconvenience, rental car difference in price, and a really good deal on the same exact vehicle). I really loved my truck. Now that I was confident that it wasn't a manufacturing defect, I felt safe repurchasing the same model.

In short, the person I spoke to at the dealership said he did not believe the insurance company's expert results. He said he would do "the best he could" for me in a new vehicle and I should come right in to get started, but anything beyond that, GET A LAWYER! HUH!

I am sure glad that he was concerned about me and my son's safety and sanity after living through the destruction of a product that I bought from him! I have repurchased the same vehicle from Carmax.

Now I have a fight on my hands with JBA!!! Why should this be a fight... their mechanic's failure to do a good job has put me in a REAL BIND> I own my own company, so my time at work is VERY critical. I lost disk files in the fire that have taken me several weekends of my time to rework. I have had to give of my time to repurchase a new vehicle. I have had an enormous amount of phone time AT WORK!!! I have had to come into work late or leave early for various reasons, meet insurance adjusters, return/pick up rental, meet contractors scheduled to start repairs on my home damage, MVA visit to return tags during business hours, etc, etc, etc.

My son is afraid to be in his bedroom / it is the closest area of home to the carport where fire was located. He just wants to MOVE! This is a struggle. I described above my economic losses. My physical damage = my car was a total loss including its contents. Insurance covered basic things but not what was IN my sons School Book Bag(his artwork, schoolwork projects), all my office disk files that were in my brief case. CD's (music)that I was given a gifts had emotional meanings beyond the replacement cost. I am separated from my husband... the alone is trauma.

This NEW truck was such a GIANT step for me and my son. It was crushing to listen to it disintegrate and yet never have the responsible party have an ounce of concern or offer assistance.

We received the following response from the dealer:

Gladding Chevrolet, Inc., d/b/a J.B.A. Mitsubishi, is a long established and well-respected automobile dealership ... which takes pride in its sales and service departments and the treatment of its customers.

The matter referred to by Kimberly of Pasadena, Maryland has been fully investigated by J.B.A. Mitsubishi and its insurance carrier, and the following conclusions have been reached:

1. Although it was possible that the fire was caused by the "short-crimping" of a wire, that default conclusion was reached after no other cause was found. No particular wire was identified by the customer's insurance company and no cause could be found by my client's insurance carrier.
2. The replacement of the power steering pump was done in a location clear of all wires, did not involve any electrical connection, and did not include the handling of any flammable materials or fluids; replacement of the power steering pump is not an uncommon procedure on these vehicles and the dealership has done it many times without incident.
3. There are no wires close to the power steering pump and those wires in the vicinity of the power steering pump are no longer energized once the ignition is turned off; the fire did not occur during or shortly after the vehicle was being operated and the ignition system was energized; rather, the fire started in the middle of the night when everything was shut off, after the vehicle had sat for some period of time and was unoccupied.

It is impossible that the power steering pump replacement was the cause of the fire.

It is also not true that "all fingers" pointed to the dealer and the mechanic, as stated by the customer; the Fire Report contains language that indicates other, unrelated reasons for the fire have been considered.

There are several reasons that could explain the cause of an accidental fire in such a new vehicle, including a possible, but highly unlikely, manufacturing defect; a more likely reason is the improper installation of after-market equipment on the vehicle (alarm systems, audio systems, or any other electrical accessories that would require tapping into the vehicle's electrical system by non-dealer personnel).

The comment that the engine was "messier" than it should have been for such a new vehicle indicates the involvement of non-dealership personnel with this vehicle; many owners choose to have audio equipment installed by discount houses and specialty shops, whose personnel are not familiar with different vehicles' electrical systems, which systems are highly complex and include computer-controlled components.

The installation of after-market equipment should be left to qualified technicians with proper (i.e. - factory) documentation; in most cases, such equipment should be electrically connected at a dealership familiar with the vehicle and equipped to do so. Too often, such equipment is connected by improperly splicing into any convenient "hot" wire, thereby creating a messy appearance and destroying the integrity of the electrical system and setting the stage for later failure and/or fire. ...

Please be assured that J.B.A. Mitsubishi is as much in tech dark as to the cause of this fire as is the customer and would like to determine the same, but is certain the fire was not caused by the power steering pump replacement.