can faulty ignition cause fire? (without key?)

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bertbarndoor - 20 Jan 2008 16:10 GMT

Neighbour's 92 Accord burnt down his garage/home during the night.
Fire department investigator ruled faulty ignition caused fire.
Insurance investigator said that the ignition was de-energized at the
time (ignition contacts were open) and that it couldn't have
overheated that way. Thoughts?

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John Grossbohlin - 20 Jan 2008 16:47 GMT

| Neighbour's 92 Accord burnt down his garage/home during the night.
| Fire department investigator ruled faulty ignition caused fire.
| Insurance investigator said that the ignition was de-energized at the
| time (ignition contacts were open) and that it couldn't have
| overheated that way. Thoughts?

I had a vehicle burn while it was parked... key in my pocket. It was an
electrical fire.

As long as there is an energized battery in the vehicle there could be an
electrical fire if there is a fault in a circuit. The fire above could have
been in the ignition circuit rather than in the switch itself. Net result
was the same. Is the adjuster claiming fraud or something?

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Gordon McGrew - 20 Jan 2008 22:09 GMT

>| Neighbour's 92 Accord burnt down his garage/home during the night.
>| Fire department investigator ruled faulty ignition caused fire.
[quoted text clipped - 4 lines]
>I had a vehicle burn while it was parked... key in my pocket. It was an
>electrical fire.

What kind of Ford was it?

>As long as there is an energized battery in the vehicle there could be an
>electrical fire if there is a fault in a circuit. The fire above could have
>been in the ignition circuit rather than in the switch itself. Net result
>was the same. Is the adjuster claiming fraud or something?

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John Grossbohlin - 20 Jan 2008 22:27 GMT

E250 Econoline. Sheriff's Deputy noticed it while driving by...

John

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Jeff - 20 Jan 2008 22:40 GMT

> | >| Neighbour's 92 Accord burnt down his garage/home during the night.
> | >| Fire department investigator ruled faulty ignition caused fire.
[quoted text clipped - 10 lines]
>
> John

Was the insurance investigator working for the auto insurance company or
the house insurance company?

Although I have no reason whatsoever to believe that this fire was
intentional, I do want to point out that just because cars *do* catch
fire accidentally, this doesn't mean that this fire was not intentional.

It also seems to me that if the insurance investigator learned that the
key was out of the ignition and didn't investigate any further, he
didn't do a good job. Sometimes the locking mechanism fail, such that it
is possible to turn the ignition on without the key. In addition, even
if the ignition switch didn't malfunction, there could have been a short
in the wiring.

Jeff

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Elle - 20 Jan 2008 18:33 GMT

For starters, Google and find articles like
http://www.crash-worthiness.com/html/faulty-ignition.html

> Neighbour's 92 Accord burnt down his garage/home during
> the night.
[quoted text clipped - 5 lines]
> have
> overheated that way. Thoughts?

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motsco_ - 20 Jan 2008 23:44 GMT

> Neighbour's 92 Accord burnt down his garage/home during the night.
> Fire department investigator ruled faulty ignition caused fire.
> Insurance investigator said that the ignition was de-energized at the
> time (ignition contacts were open) and that it couldn't have
> overheated that way. Thoughts?

-------------------------

Considering HONDA recalled about a billion ignition switches for safety
reasons just a few years later, why doubt his was any less troublesome.
I know a friend who's '91 ignition switch exhibited all the problems of
the recalled ones . . . look for Ignition Switch Recall (most models)

http://www.tegger.com/hondafaq/tsb/index.html#list

'Curly'

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