Engine Fire
Thread Starter
On The Tree
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 107
Likes: 0
From: SW Virginia
Engine Fire July 15, 2007
Kathleen DeMeter, Director
Defects Division
NTSB Headquarters
1200 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
West Building
Washington, DC 20590
Certified RR 7705 3110 0002 8488 1181
RE: Case no. 39931
Oil line related engine fire
2006 Chevrolet Corvette Z06
VIN no. 1G1YY25E365129446
Vehicle Production date May 18, 2006
Engine 10ZKD 32 129 16 15; Production date May 9, 2006
Dear Ms. DeMeter:
I am reporting a serious safety infraction which jeopardized the safety of myself and surrounding vehicles due an engine oil line defect causing a large fire. I sustained $1,800 damage repaired by two shops.
On June 8, 2006 my new car sustained a three-point engine fire related to an external engine oil line defect. Fortunately, I was accompanied by an experienced GM-Certified mechanic during the event for unrelated repairs and warranty work.
Analysis revealed a defective oil line at the crimped-on rubber hose-to-metal interface which conducts oil to an external cooler. Just before this, the car had been running in the shop for 30 minutes without incident. Videos were taken of the car running in the shop. After 10 minutes of road testing, this component suddenly failed, eight quarts of engine oil was completely lost in 30 seconds, without warning.
The rapid loss of eight quart oil spillage created a serious safety condition on Interstate I-81. This affected other automobiles, tractor-trailers and motorcycles traveling at interstate speed, during the rush hour, at dusk, and on a Friday evening. Additionally, it was raining. Multiple locations of the engine fire created the life-threatening situation to myself and my passenger. Because of the complete loss of engine oil, it remains to be seen if this incident will affect the longevity of oil-lubricated and oil-cooled drivetrain components.
This appears to be a known problem. This model has been previously recalled following engine fires involving the rubber-to-metal crimped-on interface lines of the power steering line. Also the dealership relates frequent failure of the same oil circuit components in GM SUV vehicles, to the extent they must keep this part in stock. I appreciate GM's attention regarding recall for the power steering line.
In summary, this is a fatigue-related production defect, which has a history of creating engine fires in GM vehicles and is subject to catastrophic failure without notice. A road injury or fatality would have exposed me to significant liability. Please feel free to contact me regarding this life-threatening safety issue.
Sincerely,
Peter F. Kelly, DPM, FACFAS
edit: correction: 2007
Kathleen DeMeter, Director
Defects Division
NTSB Headquarters
1200 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
West Building
Washington, DC 20590
Certified RR 7705 3110 0002 8488 1181
RE: Case no. 39931
Oil line related engine fire
2006 Chevrolet Corvette Z06
VIN no. 1G1YY25E365129446
Vehicle Production date May 18, 2006
Engine 10ZKD 32 129 16 15; Production date May 9, 2006
Dear Ms. DeMeter:
I am reporting a serious safety infraction which jeopardized the safety of myself and surrounding vehicles due an engine oil line defect causing a large fire. I sustained $1,800 damage repaired by two shops.
On June 8, 2006 my new car sustained a three-point engine fire related to an external engine oil line defect. Fortunately, I was accompanied by an experienced GM-Certified mechanic during the event for unrelated repairs and warranty work.
Analysis revealed a defective oil line at the crimped-on rubber hose-to-metal interface which conducts oil to an external cooler. Just before this, the car had been running in the shop for 30 minutes without incident. Videos were taken of the car running in the shop. After 10 minutes of road testing, this component suddenly failed, eight quarts of engine oil was completely lost in 30 seconds, without warning.
The rapid loss of eight quart oil spillage created a serious safety condition on Interstate I-81. This affected other automobiles, tractor-trailers and motorcycles traveling at interstate speed, during the rush hour, at dusk, and on a Friday evening. Additionally, it was raining. Multiple locations of the engine fire created the life-threatening situation to myself and my passenger. Because of the complete loss of engine oil, it remains to be seen if this incident will affect the longevity of oil-lubricated and oil-cooled drivetrain components.
This appears to be a known problem. This model has been previously recalled following engine fires involving the rubber-to-metal crimped-on interface lines of the power steering line. Also the dealership relates frequent failure of the same oil circuit components in GM SUV vehicles, to the extent they must keep this part in stock. I appreciate GM's attention regarding recall for the power steering line.
In summary, this is a fatigue-related production defect, which has a history of creating engine fires in GM vehicles and is subject to catastrophic failure without notice. A road injury or fatality would have exposed me to significant liability. Please feel free to contact me regarding this life-threatening safety issue.
Sincerely,
Peter F. Kelly, DPM, FACFAS
edit: correction: 2007
Last edited by kelp; Jul 16, 2007 at 10:11 PM.
Wow, that is crazy. Why would they even use that kind of crimp setup on thse cars. They should have a recall and just use braided line. That would be a smart thing to do but they prob dont want to shell out the few extra dollars for this. Best of luck to you and you did a awesome job being calm and to the point in your letter.
