Back in February, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration launched an investigation involving General Motors’ full-size SUVs for engine fires, but it looks like the problem could be more widespread than originally thought.
The original investigation involved about 423,000 2007 Chevrolet Tahoe s and GMC Yukon s, but the NHSTA has now greatly increased its inquiry. The investigation now covers 21 GM truck and SUV models from 2006, 2007 and 2008 — totaling about 2.7 million vehicles, according to Motor Trend.
The NHTSA has now received 41 complaints of non-crash engine fires, with 16 of those fires occurring while the vehicle’s ignition was off. At least two of those fires occurred while the vehicle was parked in a garage, causing additional structural damage.
Investigators are baffled by what could be causing the fires, but are focusing on batteries, wiring, circuit breakers and cooling systems.
The investigation is currently classified as an “engineering analysis” but could turn into a recall if a defect is found.
