CHARLOTTE — A northeast Charlotte woman says her SUV caught fire and that she was not involved in a crash. Hours after the scary experience, she turned to Action 9 investigator Jason Stoogenke to warn others and to get help reaching the auto-maker.
[ ALSO READ: Some car owners still waiting for free repair ]
Ayesha Goines was driving her 2016 Nissan Juke with her 9-year-old daughter when the incident occurred. “A lot of lights in my car came on, and then I heard a loud explosion and it was like a boom,” she told Stoogenke.
Moments later, she watched the car go up in flames.
“It was terrifying. My daughter’s traumatized,” Goines said. “We were scared. We thought we (were) about to lose our lives, you know? And, by the grace of God, we’re still here today.”
She thought she may have missed a recall for the car, so Stoogenke checked. He discovered that Nissan recalled 2011-2012 Jukes and 2012-2014 models for risk of fire. But Goines’ 2016 Juke was not part of those recalls. Her car had been recalled for an issue with the brakes, but according to federal safety records, it had been repaired and her car had no open recalls.
“Nissan definitely needs to be aware of what’s going on, and anyone that has a Nissan Juke needs to be aware of what happened to my vehicle,” she said.
Goines and Stoogenke both contacted Nissan about the fire, and the company said it is investigating.
[ ALSO READ: Does your car have an open safety recall? There’s a quick way to find out ]
If this happens to you, no matter what you drive, here is some advice from Action 9:
— First, make sure you are safe.
— Then take photos and document what happened.
— Share your experience with the car company, the federal safety agency National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and with Action 9.
— If you spend any money on repairs, save your receipts in case there’s a recall or lawsuit so you can get money back.
(Watch below: Driver says 2022 Kia spontaneously caught fire)
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