Investigation of a vehicle fire caused by manufacturing defect

An unreported cause of vehicle fire has been identified using a series of scientific approaches including fracture analysis. A fracture was found adjacent to the welding joint of right catalytic converter and exhaust manifold, which was the probable point of origin, of the burned vehicle. Using fracture analysis, it was verified that the fracture initiate due to the welding crack and formed far before the fire. Thus, it was confirmed that the hot air ejected from right catalytic converter via the fracture ignite the pipeline and/or fuel nearby, initiate the vehicle fire.