Washington -The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, now investigating fire risks in the extended-range electric Chevrolet Volt, has long made fire hazards in gas-powered vehicles a priority.
Automakers have issued about a dozen recalls over the last year for fire risks in gasoline-powered vehicles.
NHTSA has also opened or upgraded a half-dozen investigations into fire problems this year. It also has an ongoing investigation into whether more than 3 million Jeep Grand Cherokees pose a fire hazard.
Although vehicle fires have fallen in recent years, according to the National Fire Protection Association there were 184,500 passenger vehicle fires, including 285 deaths and 1,440 injuries in the United States in 2010. The fires caused about $1 billion in damage.
Sean Kane, president of Safety Research & Strategies, an auto safety group, said fire risk is an important issue and can have many causes. "This is a big issue and is probably one where NHTSA could beef up its resources," Kane said.
NHTSA spokeswoman Lynda Tran said the agency takes all issues seriously.
"Although the risk of fire from a defect may be a potentially serious and unacceptable safety concern, NHTSA carefully considers the information available from consumer complaints and other sources to determine whether to open a defect investigation on particular vehicles," Tran said.
Here are some of the fire issues investigated by NHTSA or recalled by automakers:
Last month, NHTSA opened an investigation into 36,000 BMW 2007-2008 Mini Cooper S vehicles, after receiving reports of 12 engine fires, including five resulting in a total vehicle loss. NHTSA is investigating whether the fires are linked to an auxiliary water pump wiring issue.
In September, Honda Motor Co. said it was recalling 80,111 2006 CR-V vehicles to replace the power window master switch after NHTSA said it had reports of five fires.
The design of the power window master switch can allow residue from interior cleaners to accumulate, which can cause the electrical contacts to degrade and may lead to a fire in the switch, Honda said.
In August, Ford Motor Co. recalled 1.22 million pickups in the United States and Canada, including the 1997-2003 F-150 over concerns about fuel tanks dropping and causing fire.
Ford said it was recalling the vehicles to replace fuel tank straps. The straps can corrode after operation for extended periods and allow the fuel tank to drop and potentially leak, which could lead to a fire, Ford said.
NHTSA said in May it had 243 reports involving the fuel tank dropping below the vehicle or dragging on the ground; 95 involved fuel leakage and nine included reports of sparks from the tank being dragged on the road.
Among three fires reported, Ford reported one incident in which the leaking fuel ignited and the resulting fire destroyed the truck.
In August 2010, NHTSA opened a probe into the 1993-2004 Grand Cherokee in response to a petition filed in October 2009 by the Center for Auto Safety.
The center contended the plastic fuel tank's placement, behind the rear axle and below the rear bumper, makes it more prone to rupture or leak when hit from behind — or in the case of rollover crashes, when it hits other objects.
Chrysler denies the Grand Cherokees have any higher fire risk than other vehicles.
The center cited government records showing 172 fatal fire crashes with 254 fatalities involving the Jeep Grand Cherokee from calendar years 1992 through 2008.
NHTSA found 2,988 people have died in Jeep Grand Cherokees crashes since 1992. Of those, NHTSA said, 55 deaths occurred in 44 crashes where fire was the "most harmful event."
In January 2010, NHTSA opened an investigation into 542,000 Ford Escape and Mazda Tribute SUVs that had been recalled in 2007 over fire risks from a wiring connector.
NHTSA said it has reports of 86 fires in recalled vehicles, although the severity of some of those fires has been questioned, the agency said. Ford said some of those incidents were due to improper recall repairs.
"We continue to cooperate with the government as they review this matter," Ford spokesman Wes Sherwood said.
In February, NHTSA upgraded an investigation into nearly 500,000 2001-2007 Volkswagen Passat and Passat Wagon vehicles over concerns that engine fires could start. NHTSA has received 14 complaints alleging that a fire started in the engine compartment that may be related to ignition coil failure.
This is the second time NHTSA has probed the Passat for fire concerns.
In 2007, NHTSA investigated about 345,000 2000-2003 Passat vehicles over fire concerns, and again upgraded it to an engineering analysis. But NHTSA ended its investigation in July 2008 after VW agreed to recall 412,000 1999-2005 Passat vehicles.
VW said in 2008 that Passats with automatic transmissions may have an underbody heat shield that can become damaged, or could have a fuel line or fuel tank valve that may leak. Any of these problems could cause a vehicle fire.
Last month, VW said it was recalling 168,000 2009-2012 diesel vehicles over concerns that fuel injector leaks could start an engine fire. VW said about 20 percent of vehicles recalled have fuel injection lines with potentially faulty material. The automaker said one supplier used a faulty part in assembling fuel injectors, and the failures only related to one of four injector lines.
In December, Ford recalled nearly 15,000 2011 models after two unattended 2011 F-150 vehicles caught fire at the Dearborn Assembly Plant in November and December 2010.
Ford said if an electrical short develops in the body control module, fire can result.
Over a 10-year-period, approximately 17.5 million Ford vehicles were recalled because of a faulty cruise control disconnect switch that can overheat and burn — potentially causing a vehicle fire long after the engine has been turned off.
In October 2009, under pressure from NHTSA, Ford agreed to expand its largest-ever recall by about 4.5 million vehicles over the faulty switch linked to hundreds of vehicle fires.
In total, Ford conducted eight separate recalls over a 10-year period because of the problem.
The cruise-control deactivation switches, made by Texas Instruments were installed in millions of vehicles over a decade before the automaker stopped using them in 2002. The switches have been linked to at least 550 vehicle fires and 1,500 complaints.
The switch is used to deactivate a vehicle's cruise control when a driver taps the brake pedal. Most of the suits allege fires began long after the vehicles were turned off.
Ford still faces numerous lawsuits over the fires. The company has settled dozens of suits in recent years. Fires continue to be reported, even after the recall campaigns were announced. In a court filing this month in U.S. District Court in Detroit, a San Jose service station owner, Nassir Aryubi, said his $283,000 service station burned in November 2009, claiming it was ignited by a 2000 Ford F-150 pickup.
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