My Ford Maverick EcoBoost caught on fire and exploded!!! 🔥

[Dad]

Everyone bitching about him not towing the car right off the bat must live in a place where no vehicle leaks oil.

Here in Southern CA, probably %70 of cars on the road leak oil too and they don't catch on fire or explode. Sometimes, you have to drive to a safer location to park and wait for a tow truck and that's what it looks like the OP did.

Gotta agree with other replies to your post. Leaking oil is one thing . . . oil on the underhood is much more serious event. That being said, we are all "Monday morning quarterbacking" here. Tough to say what we would do under similar circumstances, but clearly, adding oil was not the best move.

I know there is much debate here and lots of criticism. I think the take-away for everyone is that if you see fresh oil underneath the hood, you've got a serious problem and probably best not to drive the vehicle. If someone learns from that and prevents an identical catastrophe, then the OP's post was invaluable.

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[volksnuts]

Everyone bitching about him not towing the car right off the bat must live in a place where no vehicle leaks oil.

Here in Southern CA, probably %70 of cars on the road leak oil too and they don't catch on fire or explode. Sometimes, you have to drive to a safer location to park and wait for a tow truck and that's what it looks like the OP did.

But that isn’t what he did
He drove to get MORE oil
As a former Volkswagen owner (30x over) I am very much used to leaking oil…. But if my brand new truck had oil shooting upward I think I’d raise all flags

Also I find it odd he had time to back the truck into the parking spot like that….
I’m not sure I’d take the time to back my flaming (or just smoking) so it’s nose out
I back into to spots everytime as I am a former F150 owner, and I’m pretty sure it’s required by F150 law

Story is quite strange if you ask me, hopefully the forensics team can shed light on it
There’s a Maverick forensics team right?

 

[Syntax Error]

I respect the OP for being truthful for what happened. It would have been easy for him to claim that the vehicle suddenly caught fire and exploded without any other contextual information. But instead he came out and told the truth for all of us to see and comment on.

However, given what he has said about the spraying oil and the smoke after, and the actions afterward, I do think this is more of a case of user error making a bad situation worse. It does seem like initially the oil spray was caused by some kind of defect, manufacturing error, or just plain bad luck. But continuing to operate the vehicle in that condition and adding literally more fuel to the fire is what likely contributed to the catastrophic outcome to the vehicle. I do not think it is indicative of a wider engineering problem that would necessitate an entire recall, but hopefully Ford investigates the issue and finds out the root cause, whether it is a one-off fluke or actually a design flaw.

At least for the rest of us, we should take it as a learning opportunity to see what to do and also what not to do in such a situation. I know for me, if I see a check engine light turn on and even notice smoke emerging from the hood, I'm shutting the car off and calling a tow truck through Ford's free roadside assistance. We all have it, might as well use it.

OP, glad your family is safe. The vehicle can always be replaced. Hopefully you will still look to replace your charred-out Maverick with another Maverick with the insurance money.

 

[Redneck Garage]

At least for the rest of us, we should take it as a learning opportunity to see what to do and also what not to do in such a situation. I know for me, if I see a check engine light turn on and even notice smoke emerging from the hood, I'm shutting the car off and calling a tow truck through Ford's free roadside assistance. We all have it, might as well use it.

Got this email today -

 

[huunvubu]

Turbos ARE plumbed in with the oiling system. Some have water cooled bearing housings. (Chrysler pioneered water cooled housings in the 1980s with Garrett) but all are lubricated with pressurized engine oil. This is why running synthetic oil, frequent changes, and letting the vehicle idle for 30 seconds to a minute when you pull into your driveway or any other parking spot before turning the engine off is essential. Dealing with a pinhole leak spraying oil everywhere where its hitting the underside of the hood along with hot exhaust manifold and turbo exhaust housing is a recipe for disaster.

WOW I am so glad I own the Hybrid Maverick and not have to baby it like the EcoBoost everytime I shut it off.

 

[Ellebob]

Don't simplify this, there is a difference between needing oil and seeing oiling on the hood from bring sprayed there.

What is obvious to some is not always obvious to everybody. I know some people that I could see doing something like this. The majority of them being stereotypical are probably women but that doesn't mean a man not educated on cars couldn't make the same mistake.

There is nothing wrong with educating somebody when something like this happens. Saying things like if something like this happens again do X, Y and Z. While sprayed oil under the hood is blatantly obvious to you and me it may not be to others.

Comments by others using words like stupidity is just being rude! We have all done stupid things before maybe some of us worse or less, it doesn't matter. Show some respect to someone that shared their experience and politely educate them so that person and maybe others reading the post benefit from that knowledge.

 

[huunvubu]

yeah he should delete this post and not mention any of this to his insurance co

So your advice is LIE to the insurance company.

 

[Guv]

WOW I am so glad I own the Hybrid Maverick and not have to baby it like the EcoBoost everytime I shut it off.

I’m glad you got a hybrid too.

 

[Ranch]

The Op notices smoke coming out of the engine compartment, stops and finds oil had sprayed out of the engine. That's a very bad sign. He realizes this is not good but he turns around and continues to drive instead of attempting to get help.

Instead of stopping as soon as he had a cell signal and call for a tow he drives to a gas station to buy oil. That means he was planning on driving the Maverick even further instead of getting a tow. Not a good idea. He gets in and drives away for an unknown distance and only stops again after the smoke got heavy.

Multiple chances to stop and get towed. Instead continued to drive until a catastrophic fire erupted. Poor decision making in my opinion.

 

[huunvubu]

I’m glad you got a hybrid too.

I'm glad you found my ignore list

 

[Guv]

Ouch

 

[Kismet]

So your advice is LIE to the insurance company.

Why wouldn't you? Insurance is the biggest, oldest scam on the planet. Their entire business model is to take as much money from you as they can, invest it to profit off you, and pay out as little as possible back when you need them to.

Never ever give an insurance company even a whiff of a reason they can use to deny your claim because they will exhaustively chase that lead. They would rather hire a third party adjustor or even investigator to dig up a reason to deny you if that is even a little bit cheaper for them than covering the claim.

It doesn't matter if you have paid them years, or decades, of premiums and they have made tens of thousands of dollars off you...their number one priority is to find a way to give nothing back. So if the unfortunate occurs and you actually need them to do what you have been paying them for, you do everything in your power by hook or crook to make sure you are covered.

 

[pa-outdoorsman]

Why wouldn't you? Insurance is the biggest, oldest scam on the planet. Their entire business model is to take as much money from you as they can, invest it to profit off you, and pay out as little as possible back when you need them to.

Never ever give an insurance company even a whiff of a reason they can use to deny your claim because they will exhaustively chase that lead. They would rather hire a third party adjustor or even investigator to dig up a reason to deny you if that is even a little bit cheaper for them than covering the claim.

It doesn't matter if you have paid them years, or decades, of premiums and they have made tens of thousands of dollars off you...their number one priority is to find a way to give nothing back. So if the unfortunate occurs and you actually need them to do what you have been paying them for, you do everything in your power by hook or crook to make sure you are covered.

This has not been my experience, with either auto or homeowners insurance over the years. Any time I had a claim -- and thankfully not many or too catastrophic -- my insurers have handled the issues promptly and professionally and I have received payment for the claims with no issues whatsoever.

I would also note that I am not brand loyal. Insurance is essentially a commodity but I do feel there is value in working with an established, proven brand. Currently with Progressive but over the years have had USAA, State Farm, Farmers, Travelers and others. Point is, any solid insurer is going to pay claims. Not to say there are never issues or disputes over the value of an asset, but I don't think it's nearly as dire a picture as what you paint.

 

[pigsareus]

So your advice is LIE to the insurance company.

oh no he should absolutely lay out every last piece of evidence that he screwed it up so that they can readily deny his claim. It's better that way - insurance companies never...I mean never...go looking for some way to weasel out of paying a claim and I don't think in the history of accident claims has an insurance company ever done anything but to be forthright and happily pay each and every claim to the full extent of all the damage.

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