Vicki and Philip Hill said an issue with the vehicle's braking system may be to blame for the blaze
SUV spontaneously bursts into flames in Maryland family’s driveway
Vicki and Philip Hill and their three young children were awakened by the sound of airbags exploding as the family's car burned while parked in the driveway.
The sound of exploding airbags awoke a family of five recently as an SUV burned in the driveway of their Maryland home.
Vicki and Philip Hill, who have 5-year-old twins and a 7-year-old, told FOX 5 that if their SUV had been parked in their garage when it suddenly caught fire, it could have caused the house to explode because it’s right next to the gas line.
Video from the home's doorbell camera shows the vehicle start to smoke before 6 a.m. on May 14, before it burst into flames.
After first responders arrived and put out the fire, all that was left of the vehicle was charred remains and glass strewn about from the explosion.
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The fire was caught on a doorbell camera. (FOX 5)
"At first, we thought someone was breaking in, and we were terrified," Vicki Hill told FOX 5 of the explosion. "When my husband told me that the vehicle was on fire and to call 911, my first priority was getting our kids out of the house."
While the cause of the explosion is under investigation, the Hills believe it may have been due to the ABS actuator pump seal in the vehicle's braking system, which the family previously had worked on.
The actuator pump seal has been recalled by Nissan in some vehicles between 2015 and 2019, because a leak could cause electrical problems and, in rare cases, a fire. It wasn’t clear whether the Hills’ SUV was included in the recall.
The cause of the fire is under investigation. (FOX 5)
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The family said that Nissan told them a technician wouldn’t be able to come to their house for six to eight weeks.
Nissan told FOX 5 in a statement: "The safety of our customers is extremely important to Nissan. We’ve opened an investigation into this incident. Our team will be reaching back out to Mr. and Mrs. Hill."
The Hills sit in front of the charred remains of their car. (FOX 5)
Fox News Digital has reached out to Nissan for comment.
