Buying your first car is typically supposed to be a monumental milestone in adulthood, but one unfortunate West Virginia man’s big moment went up in flames, literally. It wasn’t but two hours after he left the dealer post-purchase that the vehicle caught fire right outside his dad’s house. The father filmed the scene and posted it r/Wellthatsucks, telling Redditors that his son had stopped by to show off his new 2018 Pacifica. “When he shut the car off the engine caught fire and now the van is totaled,” his post explained.
Fortunately, 911 responders had arrived to put out the fire, but the sight was still rather terrifying to behold, not to mention a huge disappointment for the son. Luckily, the son was not reported to be injured, nor was anyone else. “He’s lucky he made it there without it exploding first,” remarks a commenter. “Also cars spontaneously bursting into flame is not really a thing I am very curious what happened,” questioned another. “Was it a red hot deal or a fire sale?” joked a third.
Many in the comment section were also wondering what could have gone wrong with the car, chiming in with their own possible diagnoses. “My money is on an aftermarket accessory of some sort,” remarked one Redditor. “Im voting battery,” added another, with a response pointing out that it might have been installed improperly if the dealership had some maintenance done before putting it up for sale.
Unfortunately, the dad doesn’t seem to have any idea as to what went wrong, nor does he seem keen on updating anyone in the comments. But one thing’s certain: the son should demand a full refund and compensation from the dealer or consider a lawsuit. He was just hours away from a very dangerous accident after buying the car, a faulty product that wasn’t properly checked before sale. As one person puts it: “Insurance company is NOT going to be happy about this one. They will likely look into the seller.”
