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Manufacturer denies claim after mother’s recalled SUV catches fire
The Center for Auto Safety is the nation’s premier independent, member driven, non-profit consumer advocacy organization dedicated to improving vehicle safety, quality, and fuel economy on behalf of all drivers, passengers, and pedestrians.
INDIANAPOLIS – An Indianapolis woman says her car caught fire just minutes after she got her 9-month-old baby out.
Michelle Shetler contacted the Call 6 Investigators after she discovered her 2006 Chevrolet Trailblazer had been recalled, along with more than 300,000 other Trailblazers across the country.
Shetler was headed to her grandmother’s house in Brownsburg when it happened Dec. 7, 2013.
“I just unhooked the car seat, took her inside with grandma, came back out to grab her diaper bag and that’s when I saw the smoke and the fire,” said Shetler. “Right here in the door was up in flames. We missed it by two minutes.”
Her daughter was not hurt, but her Trailblazer had smoke and fire damage, along with her belongings inside.
“It took out my door, the whole steering wheel down, along the door frame, my kids’ car seats,” said Shetler.
Shetler said she had been paying on the vehicle since she bought it used from a dealership in 2007 and had hoped to pay the vehicle off entirely within a month.
“It was like, ‘My truck’s in flames,'” said Shetler. “I’ve paid $510 a month for six years.”
She searched the Internet and found that her Trailblazer was recalled in August 2012.