Nissan Murano Spontaneously Combusts In Family’s Driveway

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It seems like about the only stories we see lately of cars suddenly catching on fire in driveways or garages are EVs. But it does happen with regular internal combustion engine vehicles, like this 2015 Nissan Murano.

Lamborghini Urus destroyed in crash involving a Ford Mustang.

The crossover was sitting in the driveway of a family who live in Bethesda, Maryland when it suddenly caught fire a little before 6 am on May 14. Doorbell camera footage shows the fire start as just a bunch of smoke, then turn into a raging inferno which consumed the entire Nissan.

The mother woke up to one of the airbags exploding from the extreme heat, believing instead the sound was someone breaking into the house. That’s when the family and a neighbor both called 911, says Fox 5. Firefighters showed up and put out the blaze before it could spread to the house.

We can only imagine what might have happened if the Murano was parked in the garage.

Exactly how the fire started for now is a mystery. Nissan is investigating the incident as is the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. However, the vehicle owner told Fox 5 he believes the origin was from the ABS actuator pump seal failing. That’s an oddly specific diagnosis.

But Nissan has recalled that part on certain vehicles from the same model year. The husband said he had the seal replaced under the recall, but he seems suspicious about the effectiveness of the work and understandably so. A leak like that can start a fire, although that sort of thing is rare. But it is possible.

In the past, we’ve seen car fires started by other fluid leaks. While they’re not always guaranteed to end in an inferno, not properly maintaining your ride can come at a steep cost.

Image via Fox 5 Washington DC/YouTube

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