1992 Nissan Sentra: fire, smoke or burning smell

Filed Jan 22, 2016 · Driver assistance, Engine · CA · fire

Going straight, the vehicle was starting to lose power first. Causing the engine to bottle out of control nearly crashing, luckily regaining the car's control, as the engine shut down but still had momentum, to park at a empty lot. When attempting to jump start the car (imagining the battery simply died) the engine was not receiving gas (even at little over half tank) and when in movement it would seem fine at rest but pressing the gas the car would move for 5 feet fine but start to thrust itself causing the car to jolt forward several time before going to a complete shut down. No push start nor jump start was successful at trying to get my family back home safely. When this wasn't enough an electrical wire short out nearly catching the car on fire. Thus ending the middle of the night with pushing the car to a home depot (luckily a county officer help push the vehicle the rest of the way). Recap: axles are bad on the left side of the vehicle fuel lines are bad electrical wiring are at a highly dangerous the doors lock and unlock as they please (all this was discovered in 4 hours as the vehicle did not last long, the driver only had this car for less than 30 days. And we where not aware that this vehicle was in poor shape as the seller said it was in good condition.) this vehicle is a death trap. Thank goodness no one died.

Filed Aug 27, 2012 · 110,000 miles · PA · fire

After parking the car following a brief errand, the car caught fire for no apparent reason. Although it was 20 years old, it was in good condition. The entire front of the car burned, it was totaled. It took the fire department about half an hour for the fire to be extinguished.

Filed Dec 9, 2011 · Electrical · 96,000 miles · AL · fire

I bought this car for my 17-year-old daughter for her first car. It was in mint shape with only 81,000 miles at purchase. On the date stated she went to start the car to go to work. Upon starting the car smoke immediately came from under the hood near the firewall. She shut the car off and opened the hood. There was a fire on the driver's side and rear firewall with flames and smoke coming from the engine wiring harness. She shut the hood and called the fire department. When the fire department arrived the car was still on fire and had consumed most of the engine compartment and had spread through the firewall and into the dash. The car was cold and had not been run since the previous day. After doing some research after the fire especially with reports from the federal safety agency there must be a defect with the wiring harness with the sentras. Has the federal safety agency investigated these claims by other people of sentra's of the same year same component catching fire? While no one was hurt in this fire I can see how this could have been devastating. The car was parked very close to my house and could easily have spread to a structure fire. Please investigate this complaint as well as any other complaints for this model car from other owners. There is defiantly some sort of defect with the wiring harness on the sentras of this year model and a recall should have' already been called after reading all the complaints to the federal safety agency.

Filed Jun 28, 2007 · Electrical · 105,000 miles · NY · fire

Parked car, smoke emerged from hood near wind screen, then paint bubbled in middle of hood. Seconds late, engine burst into flames, and car was incinerated. Prior to this, car was well maintained, housed in garage, and had just passed its tough nyc annual inspection. There was no smell of gasoline prior to blaze, and no apparent problem with the car. Vehicle was destroyed, and fire department was unable to say what caused fire.

Filed Sep 13, 2000 · Electrical · IL · fire

On 6/12/2000, while my wife was driving our 1992 nissan sentra out of her company's parking lot, at 5 MPH, an odor started coming into the car through its air vent. One minute later, smoke started coming from under the left side of the hood. Within 3 minutes, she very quickly drove back to her office, raised the car's hood, and found the ignition wiring on fire. She dumped water on the fire and put it out. She then called the fire dept. To come and make sure the fire was out. The fire dept. And police both showed up. They instructed her to have the car towed to our auto repair shop, and not to turn on the ignition switch. We did as they instructed. I came to her office and waited for the tow truck to arrive. Our mechanic said that there was no outside cause for the wiring to catch fire. Nothing was touching the wiring, no wires were exposed, the wiring bundle was not rubbing up against anything, and the wiring was in its original wrapped, bundled loom. He said that there was no other cause for this fire except the ignition resistor capacitor was defective from the factory, and that it failed, got hot, and burst into flames. He told me to report this incident to the federal safety agency as a defect in this car's wiring system. (I bought this car new, have never had any work done on any wiring, nor the ignition system, except tune-ups. The last tune-up was done on 12/15/1999, and the only thing done was new spark plugs, new distributor cap & rotor, and new pcv valve installed. The wiring has never been touched, and had no logical reason to burst into flames except for a factory defect in the wiring ignition resistor capacitor, as my mechanic has stated, in a letter to nissan motor corp., p.o. Box 191, gardena, ca., 90248.) nissan has agreed to pay half of my repair costs, since my car's 3-yr warranty has expired. They should pay the whole cost, because this part should've never failed. I filed a fire report with them, file no. Ca3175439.

Filed Aug 10, 2000 · Electrical · IL · fire

On 6/12/2000, while my wife was driving our 1992 nissan sentra out of her company's parking lot, at 5 MPH, an odor started coming into the car through its air vent. One minute later, smoke started coming from under the left side of the hood. Within 3 minutes, she very quickly drove back to her office, raised the car's hood, and found the ignition wiring on fire. She dumped water on the fire and put it out. She then called the fire dept. To come and make sure the fire was out. The fire dept. And police both showed up. They instructed her to have the car towed to our auto repair shop, and not to turn on the ignition switch. We did as they instructed. I came to her office and waited for the tow truck to arrive. Our mechanic said that there was no outside cause for the wiring to catch fire. Nothing was touching the wiring, no wires were exposed, the wiring bundle was not rubbing up against anything, and the wiring was in its original wrapped, bundled loom. He said that there was no other cause for this fire except the ignition resistor capacitor was defective from the factory, and that it failed, got hot, and burst into flames. He told me to report this car fire to the federal safety agency as a defect in this car's wiring system. (I bought this car new, have never had any work done on any wiring, nor the ignition system, except tune-ups. The last tune-up was done on 12/15/1999, and the only thing done was new spark plugs, new distributor cap & rotor, and new pcv valve installed. The wiring has never been touched, and had no logical reason to burst into flames, except for a factory defect in the wiring ignition resistor capacitor, as my mechanic has stated, in a letter to nissan motor corp., p.o. Box 191, gardena, ca., 90248.) nissan has agreed to pay half of my repair costs, since my car's 3-yr warranty has expired. They should pay the whole cost, because this part should've never failed. I filed a fire report with them, file no. Ca3175439.

Filed Feb 12, 1999 · Engine · IL · crash · fire · 1 injury

On november 11, 1998 my daughter was driving south on interstate 57 by askum, il. Going 65 MPH. She claims the engine lost power and she had to naviage the car to the side of the road to avoid being rear ended by oncoming traffic. The car lost all power and would not restart. She got out of the car and looked under the hood. She was crying and cut herself lifting up the hood. She saw lots of gray smoke coming from the engine and got back in the car and phoned me on a cellular. I told her to call 911 and I also called them. The illinios state police arrived quickly and ordered a tow truck. The car never started again. It is still sitting in my driveway and our mechanic told me this model has no indicator light to signal that it is overheating .this causes it to overheat on the highway since most people are watching the road and not the hot/cold gauge. I feel this major flaw caused my daughter to be in grave danger and that it contributed to the car being effectively worthless at this point. I also noted in the "owner's manual on page 5-8 that the manufacturer addresses options " if you feel a lack of engine power "or your car overheats. This would indicate to me that this model has a history of loss of engine power and overheating. Despite the car's history the manufacturer never put an indicator light to designate that the car is overheating putting drivers on the expressway in grave danger of major accidents.

Filed Feb 9, 1998 · Engine · CA · fire

Vehicle caught fire in the engine compartment without warning. Owner believes the cause is california's new reformulated gas.

Filed May 8, 1996 · Electrical · VA

Upon starting, noticed smoke coming from under hood, found front wiring had burnt apart, for no apparent reason.

Filed Apr 21, 1995 · Electrical · FL · fire

While pumping gas, vehicle engine caught fire, fire dept. Suspect electrical short as culprit. Tt