Tundra Engine Fire

[ChrisMI]

This type of situation always bugs me. By doing the right/safe/heroic thing it ends up costing you more. Kind of reminds me of an engine catastrophic failure in flight. If you do everything perfectly and land without putting a scratch on the plane you’ll probably have to cough up at least 50k to rebuild the engine. However, if you forget to put the gear down or similar the insurance company won’t complain about a 100k repair. 
I would not close the claim until they agreed to pay the difference between a clean trade and the fire salvage title. I would also exercise that option ASAP on a new tow vehicle. 

[LongStride]

In retrospect, I would have been better off to let it burn.  That thought never entered my mind when it happened.  In fact, I can't recall actually thinking about anything at the time.  It was more of a reaction to the situation at hand.  I attribute that to the extensive firefighting and shipboard damage control training that I had in the Navy.  That was over four decades ago, but it stuck.  Pretty good training I would say.  It may have been to my disadvantage this time though.

I did some more research on the extinguishing agent and found the same type of information that @John E Davies shared with us in his post.  I believe that my truck was stored outside in a fenced area and exposed to a lot of moisture.  I have compiled some documents, even a few published by the NFPA regarding the corrosive properties of the chemical; and I am going to meet with my insurance agent tomorrow to discuss.

Thanks to all of you for your concern and comments.

Mike

[topgun2]

Mike - 

Good Luck tomorrow - give 'em hell!

Bill

[Flyfisher]

On 11/4/2021 at 7:32 AM, LongStride said:

Hopped into the truck yesterday afternoon to go to the market and it burst into flames.  When I started it, smoke started rolling out from under the hood.  I told my wife to get out, move away from the truck and call 911.  When I got out of the truck there were flames in the drivers side wheel well and my driveway was on fire under the engine bay.  I ran to the house and grabbed a fire extinguisher. I killed the flames under the truck and then the flames in the wheel well.  I stepped back and it burst into flames again.  I gave it another shot and put it out (or so I thought).  I opened the hood and there were still flames so I attacked it from above and finally extinguished it.  Fire dept. showed up and made certain that the fire was out.

My truck is a 2020 with less than 8,000 miles on it.  Not happy.  Not a good time to buy a new truck if they total it.  Even if they can repair it I don't think I want to keep it after it suffered a fire like that.  Who knows what hidden damage it caused in addition to the obvious.

Sorry to hear of your fire.

I, too, had a truck fire 3 years ago when my 2012 Ford F-150 caught fire just as I backed it into the storage unit that we rented at the time in Montana.  The fire ended up burning the entire building and destroyed all of the contents that were in it, not only mine but of the other tenants as well.  I’m guessing the total losses were around $10 million.  Although the cause of the fire was inconclusive, I believe it was related to my truck’s air conditioner blower motor.

I also have State Farm insurance, and they were very fair with me in handling my claims, which totaled over 900 items, including an RV, truck, boats, ATV, utility trailer, and numerous personal items, etc.  I never retained an attorney, although State Farm had/has retained one on my behalf, and they are handling the multiple lawsuits that resulted from the fire.

If you do decide to replace your truck and buy a new one, there are some pretty good deals to be had if you’re not in a hurry and  can afford to shop around.  For example, one dealer in Iowa is presently offering to sell new Ford trucks ordered from the factory at 3% below dealer invoice, with anticipated delivery times of around 3 months, depending on the model ordered.

 

 

[Geronimo John]

On 11/5/2021 at 3:56 AM, Mattnan said:

Here is what I found under the hood of my 2008 Tundra in October of 2018.

Sorry, but I could not resist myself.....

We all know that Toyota are bullet proof and require almost no maintenance.  But I would recommend checking under the hood every three or four years or so.

LOL.  Seriously how did that bush get there and thrive?  

GJ

[Geronimo John]

On 12/18/2021 at 10:00 AM, SeaDawg said:

One (my niece in San Diego) has to park her Prius on the street. My friend's suv was in a hotel parking lot. 

Seadog:  We have a 2008 Prius, and a 2012 Prius V here in Hawaii.  My wife's Prius Cat stolen.  USAA had to pay 0ver $4,000 in repair costs as they also whacked out a chunk of the exhausts system. 

We bought two aluminum Cat Shields.  I looked at them and thought they would slow down the bad guys about 2 minutes.  So I also installed a full coverage 9 ga HDG expanded metal shield below the Cats.  Give it about an inch clearance.    

No way the bad guys will do that again to our two Prius.  

GJ

[Geronimo John]

The Prius line has the top of the line Cat resin.  As such, the bad guys get a premium for them.

Are they hitting the F-150's as bad as the Prius'?

GJ

[Patriot]

56 minutes ago, Geronimo John said:

The Prius line has the top of the line Cat resin.  As such, the bad guys get a premium for them.

Are they hitting the F-150's as bad as the Prius'?

GJ

A quick open source answer to your question appears to be yes.

https://truckinformer.com/do-ford-f-150-catalytic-converters-get-stolen-frequently/

Patriot🇺🇸

[Steve Morris]

Reading this thread for the first time, it doesn't look like @LongStride related the outcome. In later threads, he notes having a tonneau cover and leveling the trailer. Doesn't mention a new or refurbished vehicle, though. Hey Mike, what's the rest of the story for those of us coming in late?

Regarding catalytic converter theft, the Land Cruiser doesn't make any lists due to the low sales volume. but theft by percentage is quite high according to State Farm, due to the Land Cruiser having four catalytic converters. Last year a guy on the Cruiser forum had two stolen 2000 miles from home. He ended up having the vehicle trucked home because replacements are another of the zillion things with long lead times. The bill for parts was $4200 plus six hours of labor.

[John E Davies]

11 minutes ago, Steve Morris said:

Regarding catalytic converter theft, the Land Cruiser doesn't make any lists due to the low sales volume. but theft by percentage is quite high according to State Farm, due to the Land Cruiser having four catalytic converters. Last year a guy on the Cruiser forum had two stolen 2000 miles from home. He ended up having the vehicle trucked home because replacements are another of the zillion things with long lead times. The bill for parts was $4200 plus six hours of labor.

That bill seems pretty extreme, even for a Land Cruiser, did the thief saw off the crossmember of the frame too?

John Davies

Spokane WA

 

[Steve Morris]

3 minutes ago, John E Davies said:

That bill seems pretty extreme, even for a Land Cruiser

I'm just relaying what the owner of said vehicle reported on iH8MUD.Someone here said their bill on a Prius was over $4000, and that's only one catalytic converter.

[Wandering Sagebrush]

On 11/4/2021 at 7:52 AM, John E Davies said:

I am sorry and also very surprised to hear about your fire. That engine has been stone reliable in the past, it must have been a build issue… did you smell gasoline or could this have been electrical? Every vehicle needs an onboard extinguisher. A cheap dry chemical one will do if it is rated for fuel fires, but the powder residue is highly corrosive and must be removed immediately after! I suggest that everybody buy one of these for each of their vehicles, it fits in a glove box easily, runs for 30 seconds, leaves zero residue and never expires.
 

I hope the price will come down, it is definitely too high IMHO, but it might save somebody's life one day. Most likely you would have to use it on another vehicle, but you never know. Do not call me anal, but my LC200 has two cheap box store extinguishers in the rear door pockets, for fast access from either side, and an Element in the glovebox…. And my small house has five extinguishers. 😳 Like bear spray, if you do not have a backup and need it, you could be in deep trouble.

https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/4291-how-to-element-fire-extinguisher-install/

Please post some pics and keep us advised. Good luck.

John Davies

Spokane WA

Another endorsement for the Element Fire Extinguisher.  They have a long discharge time as compared to the normal type of extinguisher, they’re effective, and because of the small size,  easy to store in accessible locations.

[Geronimo John]

18 hours ago, Geronimo John said:

Seadog:  We have a 2008 Prius, and a 2012 Prius V here in Hawaii.  My wife's Prius Cat stolen.  USAA had to pay 0ver $4,000 in repair costs as they also whacked out a chunk of the exhausts system. 

 

6 hours ago, Steve Morris said:

I'm just relaying what the owner of said vehicle reported on iH8MUD.Someone here said their bill on a Prius was over $4000, and that's only one catalytic converter.

Steve:  That someone was me.  $4200 more exactly.   

Hence both our Prius and our Prius V now have Cat Shields plus a 9 ga expanded HDG screen below the Cats installed. 

GJ