I guess it is time to share with everyone what happened to my baby

I am very upset and disappointed by this chain of events as I am sure you would be if you were in my situation. Also, this happened 2 weeks ago, not today. I wanted to calm down prior to posting.

Friday evening I was driving home down the highway when I completely lost power. I heard a pop of sorts and then nothing. I called roadside and then wait. I popped the hood and tried to see what I could. There was liquid everywhere. I took a few pics while waiting for the tow and had really expected the worse.





While I was not sure at the time, It turns out that it was fuel that had covered my compartment. This could have been VERY VERY bad. That is gas pooled on the exhaust manifold!

I had the vehicle towed into Sport Mazda, the dealer close to where I work. I had just left work so it was also the closest. The next morning I was called to pick up my vehicle. It turns out that it was indeed the fuel line that had “popped off”. The dealer “fixed” the problem for me. On the up side I was not charged for their work… they “popped” the line back on and cleaned things up so they did not charge me. I was told I was lucky my car did not burst into flames. I took my paperwork for the repair and left. Turns out my luck was short lived.

The next morning I was driving down the road not too far from my house and the same thing happened. I heard the “pop”. I lost power. The next chain of events happened within seconds……

The car behind me started honking right after power loss. At the same time I had started slowing down and saw heat waves… then I heard the hideous.. the sound of fuel igniting and exploding under the hood… and then flames were coming out everywhere. HUGE flames and coming out from the car were the last moving memory I had of my car. This was all before I had even come to a complete stop. Between a few choice words… and the thought that I was going to die in my car.. I grabbed my wallet and hauled butt! I think I was 100ft away from my car within seconds as soon as I stopped.

Thankfully I was alone in the car…. thankfully the explosion was not any worse. Thankfully I LIVED! :-)



My 8, however did not survive. :-(














Ok so this is where things start to get ugly……

When the tech at the dealer “fixed” my car… I was not present. However I was told that he smelled gas as he approached the vehicle, reached down in the engine and felt the line popped off and just popped it back on, cleaned up the gas and test drive the car. I was told it should be fine. They were not concerned… so I was not.

But the line was not looked at. The clip was not inspected. These things shouldn’t just “pop” off. The fact that the same thing happened within 24 hours is too much of a coincidence…

The Mazda dealer is claiming no responsibility whatsoever. I expected they would not. They do not feel this was their fault. I was even told again that they did not charge me… like I should be happy about that. The vehicle had a new engine placed in it by another dealer 6 months prior to me purchasing the vehicle (warranty replacement) and they feel if anyone is at fault it would be them. I told them that it does not matter about the past. The vehicle was running perfectly fine until the day prior to me having it towed in to be fixed.

Even if it was the other dealer that installed it incorrectly, I had my vehicle towed into their facility that it would be fixed in good faith and this is what happens. The car was not a melted mess when it was taken to them to be fixed. I asked to speak to the GM and was told he was not here but that it won’t help because they will go by what they tell him.

So let’s just say I am less than pleased by the way I was spoken to by the dealership… like I did not know what I was talking about…and in a “this was absolutely not their fault in the slightest” way. Non-compassionate and uncaring. The GM will not return my calls... figures.

Could this have been a coincidence? Perhaps. Maybe an act of god. However, I do not agree with their assessment and neither do others… including my insurance company.

I had my insurance company hold off taking any action to see what the dealer would do and I got my answer. I tried… but I guess I should have expected that reaction. But things will turn out OK in the end. My insurance company is awesome and is completely taking care of me. I am waiting for a “cause of origin” inspection report to be returned before we take any further action. They are having experts examine the car to find out where exactly the fire started and why. Seems they agree with me as well.

Anyways everything is on hold for a bit until we see how things turn out. Now I’m driving an Impala until the insurance wraps up and I find another car. I hate car shopping…..

Depending on the results of the investigation I will probably also be writing a letter to Mazda on how this whole situation was treated and how disappointed and upset I am about it. I doubt it will do any good but it will make me feel better.


The Good News: IM ALIVE.... and thank god for that. I can replace the car.
The Bad News: My 8 will be a total loss through insurance.
The Ugly News: An Impala..... seriously? Enterprise had nothing else in stock.....



Make your own decision about what happened. I’ll keep everyone informed on what happens and on the report when I get it.

Until then… Good Night Sweet Shinka.





RIP 2005 Shinka #0067

 

HOLY **** .... sorry for your loss man, glad you are ok and that no one got hurt. Hope everything works out in the end

 

Oh man that sucks !! Like you said, the most important thing is that youre alive. The car can be replaced, even if you were very attached to it which im sure you were. Good luck, i hope everything works out for you.

 

This seems to be something that has happened a couple of times with replaced engines. Fuel line pops off and fire follows. Im sorry to hear about your car, hopefully you will be able to find another shinka to replace yours.

 

call mazda and talk to them. They will give you another RX8 equal in value. just tell them your story. trust me

 

^ Really ? .. that means anyone can **** up their 8 and BS to mazda and get a new 8 lol.

 

Great I see Rotarys future. There will be a fuel line comming off lol.

 

^ LOL im just saying

 

I have plans to contact Mazda... but not until after the inspection report comes back. I want to see what that says.

My position is that, even if the previous dealer (that did the swap) did not put it on correctly, I took it to them to fix. I believe this should have been looked at more carefully.... this could have been caught.

However... even if it was pure coincidence.. the general attitude of the dealer.. and the lack of callbacks from the GM... is just wrong.

 

Oh geez. That's crazy. Glad you're okay and good luck.

 

You will be ok. This is pretty clear cut. The dealer has insurance for situations like this and your carrier does not want to pay for someone else s screw up so they will fight tooth and nail to make sure they do not pay and that the dealer does. They did not properly inspect or fix the vehicle, adn you could have been killed. They are liable. The only problem will be assuring you get the proper amount for your car and your damages. If you owe more than they value the car then it could get complicated but hopefully you have other coverages on your car to cover that.


The bottom line is that the dealer does not want a lawsuit, a civil Jury trial would be way too risky on a case like this.

 

Wow!. Good luck. I'm glad you're ok. Car fires get ugly, quick.

Like 9k said, Your insurance will make sure that they taked care of you. Hopefully you come out on top and back in another 8.

 

Stick it to the dealership, I hate them!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

When something like this happens, it isnt to hard to talk to mazda about buying you another 8 simlair in value. Make Sure to have all the reports and tell them about trips to the dealership to fix this problem. When He took it to the dealership and they just poped on the fuel line again. Something was wrong. Think about it. How does a fuel line just pop off? There has to be a reason. They should have looked into it more. I have delt with things simlair to this, as I work in the Dealership industry.

 

That's the saddest thing I ever saw on here. So sorry for your loss and glad you're okay! It'll shake out in the end, just hang in there and let the insurance company deal with it.

And I feel your pain with the Impala. I was in an HHR for a while after one of my accidents... a dairy cow on wheels.

 

sorry to heard what happen!! my fuel popped out too but it was on idle when it was at the dealer getting a new engine.
If you are interested in parting out your car please lmk!! Pm i am really interested thanks!

 

Unfortunately as Doc pointed out. This has happened before and usually fairly quickly after a re-man engine has been put in.
I remember seeing somewhere(and you can find on this site) and I believe it's in the factory service manual, where it strongly recommends that you should NOT re-use the fuel lines when doing a swap. This is why we always tell people that even if you must buy them when you are having a motor replaced to do it...............buy them!

I know that it wasn't a short time after the engine swap on this one, but obviously it wasn't put on right at some point and for sure the dealer tech didn't put it on right this time, or didn't perform the checks he should have(according to the FSM again).

I'll see if I can find the post or the quote and come back here and edit to include it.


Sorry about your loss..................I'd call Mazda North America for sure, but hope you had adequate insurance????


Does this look familiar?


Do NOT re-use this line, it's not worth it!

N3H1-13-495B is the part number





Quote form OD(Denny):

The trouble with that particular line is this.
The plastic clips that have to be expanded to release and to reinstall become a little stretched when doing so. This line is the only fuel line that has a very small red fitting down in one side of the connectors that is held in place by the plastic clip. If that clip is not tight enough then then that red sealer/spacer can work its way out causing a large fuel leak that pools in the space between the lim and engine block. There are several rather large spaces down there. Pooled gas on a hot engine /exhaust side is a disaster in the making--so when fire occurs its not just a little fire---its big.
This line actually moves just a little with changing fuel pressures and that is how that red spacer can work itself free if that clip is not good and tight. Its a very poor design.
Not only do i have a new one but i also have dremeled a notch on the clip so i can put a zip tie around it and it wont slip off.
I lost an engine due to that 2 cent piece. That leak made one rotor go lean. I was lucky it did not catch fire.

 

Mazurfer was right, that line HAS to be replaced on EVERY Engine replacement.

They called that "quick release" clip. I love that name, I mean it's really easy to "release" it if you know how.

Wayne Replaced mine when they did my engine, even told me that they always replace that line to avoid fire.

I prefer the old way they use to secured fuel hose, like on my FC, just the plain old clip/clamp whatever you want to call that, its stable, the clip never gets old, strong and you can reuse it pretty much as much as you want just don't bend it too far.

Sucks to see a Shinka burst in flames, cuz I have a Shinka too. Hmm, but You should be able to call Mazda and tell them your story, they should have no problem getting you another car.

Or just tell your insurance company (if u have full coverage) about this and go after the dealership who just "pop" your fuel hose back and send you off. sure they did you a favor its free and ****, but I mean SO ? I don't want free **** if it will burn my car later.

someone should pay for that and that should not be you.

Hope all goes well.

 

Pretty scary.

You should report this to NHTSA.

Since your insurance company is now taking care of you, make sure you coordinate with them before any more contacts with the dealer or Mazda.

Ken

 

This is not the first time Mazda's car have fuel-related safety issue.

Not saying its just a "mazda thing", it happens to all the cars.

FC Koukai(1986-1988) model have this Fuel Pulsation Dampers leaking problem. it will almost always happen, but for some reason no recall issued.

http://www.mazdatrix.com/c-pulsation.htm

I have an FC so I gotta know all the good/bad things about it. I think Mazda should include the fuel hose as part of the engine replacement.

 

Actually Ken, in depends on who you feel is really at fault. If they plan to go after the dealer, then do that first...........I would call your insurance company and let them know what you are doing, so it on the record, but tell them you are pursuing with the dealers insurance. Again, if going after the dealer, then work it through their insurance company first. In the other thread, he was working with both and the dealer's insurance was able to squeek away and then it was on his own insurance, which I believe lead to increased premiums etc.
In other words..................

If you do a searcgh with the word "fire" in the title, you will see random bullshit, but you will also find two threads where it was a fire......and was the fuel line, and you'll see the one that lead to the insurance issue.

 

Spiders = Recall

Burst into flames = So what

 

hell yea.

I just don't understand how this works anymore ...

 

Pics made me sick at my stomach... Glad you are ok !

 

It's just a car man, good part is your alive and well.