Complaint 353857

Complaint Summary

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:FRONT UNDERHOOD

Owner Narrative

OUR 1998 PETERBILT 379 CAUGHT FIRE INSIDE USS POSCO STEEL MILL IN PITTSBURG, CALIFORNIA ON THURSDAY 5-16-2002. AFTER LOOKING AT YOUR WEB SITE I FOUND A RECALL THE NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 00V029000 . NOW OUR TRUCK IS IN THE PROCESS OF BEING TOTALED OUT. HOW DO WE FIND OUT IF THIS IS WHAT CAUSED FIRE. ON OUR ESTIMATE DAMAGES WE HAVE LOSS OF THE OF OUR TRUCK, OUR LIVELY HOOD, AND ANY CLAIMS WHICH USS POSCO MAY MAKE, FOR HAVING TO BE SHUT DOWN. MY HUSBAND IS DEFINITELY TRAMATIZED, HE HAS NOT SLEPT WELL SINCE THIS OCCURED AND WHEN HE DOES HE HAS DREAMS OF THE TRUCK GOING UP IN FLAMES. HE HAD JUST BE LOADED AND WAS PULLING FORWARD TO CHAIN DOWN STEEL COILS ON TRAILER, THE TRUCK HAD BEEN SHUT OFF. HE STATRED TRUCK AND PULLED FORWARD ABOUT 200 FEET WHEN HE HEARD SHOUTING, HE STOPPED SUT OFF TRUCK, AND JUMPED OUT AT THIS TIME FLAME WERE ERUPTING FROM UNDER HOOD ON DRIVER'S SIDE AS WELL AS FROM BEHIND DRIVERS SIDE BATTERY BOX AND STEP., AND UNDERNEATH THE FENDERWELL. BY THE TIME AN EXTINGUISHER WAS GOTTEN THERE WAS NO WAY TO SHOOT IT UNDERNEATH THE HOOD WITHOUT OPENING THE HOOD THEREBY SUPPLYING OXYGEN TO THE FIRE. AT THAT POINT WE WERE TOLD TO STAY BACK AND WAIT FOR FIRE TRUCKS WHICH WERE ON SITE. USS POSCO HAS THERE OWN FIRE DEPARTMENT. A FEW MINUTES INTO FIRE THE TRUCK RESTARTED ITSELF AND WAS SHOOTING FLAMES INTO RAFTERS ON THE BUILDING AND FREE REVING TO THE MAXIMUM IT COULD UNTIL IT DIED, AT THIS POINT EVERYONE RAN FOR COVER BECAUSE WE JUST WERE'NT SURE WHAT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN. THE FIRE WAS CONTAINED DAMAGE TO ENGINE ALL WIRING THE CAB AND INTERIOR , AND ESPECIALLLY THE HOOD WAS SUSTAINDED. THE TRUCK WAS TOWED TO IMPOUND YARD. THE INSURANCE COMPANY IS IN THE PROCESS OF TOTALING OUT THE TRUCK, BUT WE WANT TO KNOW HOW DO WE SEE IF WE HAVE A PROBLEM WITH PACCAR IDUSTRIES, BECAUSE I WANT OUR TRUCK BACK THE WAY IT WAS. WE HAVE GREAT WEST CASUALTY COMPANY FOR INSURANCE. OUR CLAIM NUMBER IS 778-268 OUR CLAIMS GUY IS BILL HEMPHILL OR ASK FOR DARCEY AT 1-800-343-3966 EXT 1.

Owner-submitted narrative on file with NHTSA. Complaint narratives are self-reported and have not been verified.