CHARLOTTE — Rebekah Engel says her SUV was parked in her driveway when it caught fire.
She told Action 9 investigator Jason Stoogenke that the flames melted part of the siding on her house.
“It was really scary. I just thought about ... I drove my child home. I’m sorry, I hate to cry on you, but I drove him home and it just made me think of what if we had been in the car?” she told Stoogenke.
Engel didn’t know who or what was to blame. The firefighters’ official report said the fire was an accident and started in the engine.
She bought the 2012 SUV used, so who knows how the previous owner treated it, Stoogenke said.
The SUV was a Nissan Juke, which Action 9 reported in the past. The Juke had recalls for problems that could increase the risk of fire. However, Stoogenke checked to see if Engel’s had a recall. It did have one and had been repaired.
She says it had been leaking oil, which is a bad sign.
She brought it in to be fixed and says the mechanic told her it still needed a certain part and was safe to drive home. So, she did.
“Literally, drove it home from the shop, and not even 10 minutes after I parked it, it caught on fire,” she said.
She says her homeowner’s insurance will fix the siding and car insurance will cover the SUV, but she wanted the mechanic shop to return her money for the work it did. Channel 9 isn’t naming the shop because there was no proof it did anything wrong.
“The manager came down and took pictures of the car. She was very apologetic, made sure we were OK,” she said.
But Engel says things dragged on.
So, she emailed Action 9 which contacted the business.
The shop responded that “safety” is their “top priority” and that they were looking into it. More than two months later, Engel says the business gave her a full refund, roughly $4,900.
But why this happened is still a mystery.
If you think a body shop or mechanic damaged your car, treat it like a crash. Expect them, or their insurance, to pick up the tab.
If not, you may have to use your own, assuming you have the right coverage. Either way, do what Engel did: Be persistent. In a worst-case scenario, you can always talk to a lawyer.
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