An SUV was on fire in the garage of a family of five’s Maryland home, and the sound of airbags going off woke them up.
Vicki and Philip Hill, who have twin 5-year-olds and a 7-year-old, told FOX 5 that their house could have exploded if their SUV had been put in the garage and caught fire. The garage is right next to a gas line.
Video from the doorbell camera at the house shows that the car began to smoke before 6 a.m. on May 14 and then caught fire.
When help came and put out the fire, the only things that were left of the car were charred remains and broken glass from the explosion.
Vicki Hill told FOX 5 that they were scared at first because they thought someone was breaking in. “When my husband told me that the vehicle was on fire and to call 911, my first priority was getting our kids out of the house.”
The Hills family thinks the explosion may have been caused by the ABS actuator pump seal in the car’s brake system, even though the cause of the explosion is still being looked into.
Nissan has recalled some cars with an actuator pump seal between 2015 and 2019 because a leak could lead to electricity problems or even a fire in the worst cases. It wasn’t clear if the Hills’ 2015 Nissan Murano was part of the recall.
Nissan told the family that a mechanic wouldn’t be able to come to their house for six to eight weeks.
In a statement to FOX 5, Nissan said, “The safety of our customers is very important to Nissan.” An probe into this event has begun. We are going to get back in touch with Mr. and Mrs. Hill.”
