[donewithecosport]

I have a 2020 titanium, it’s 50,167 miles as of right now. Never had any mechanical issues with it before, always take care of routine maintenance and have driven it all over the south since June 2020. Earlier today, a little more than 5 hours ago, while driving on the interstate going about 78 mph, the engine light starts to blink and I get off at the nearest exit which was not even 0.5 miles away, I began to break getting off the ramp and then when I go back to accelerate, it doesn’t and the RPMs are shooting past 6… I look for the nearest place to stop which happened to be someone’s drive through on a busy small residential two-way street. I pop the hood and go to take a look under the hood and there is a fire. A fire. I couldnt believe it. I pop the hood and my engine is on fire. Why? I wasn’t notified of any recalls, never had issues with the vehicle before but today, my engine catches on fire. Help.

 

[Obsolete]

How long were you cruising at 78, these cars don’t seem to like going past 70. Not sure it’s any reason for it to catch fire just an observation.

 

[Bjbena]

How long were you cruising at 78, these cars don’t seem to like going past 70. Not sure it’s any reason for it to catch fire just an observation.

You know the max speed of the Ecosport is about 113 mph, right?

 

[XR650R]

Is it the 1.0 turbo, or the 2.0?

 

[Obsolete]

You know the max speed of the Ecosport is about 113 mph, right?

Cruise at 113 and tell me how that goes for you. Just because it can doesn’t mean it should.

 

[XR650R]

I don't think 78 would cause a fire. Something else is going on.

 

[tom cat]

I don't think 78 would cause a fire. Something else is going on.

I agree. Even higher speeds should not cause a fire.
I am curious. Was it an electrical fire...probably the most common type of fire, or a fuel/oil fire? A fuel/oil fire usually means a leak of some kind that finds an ignition source. An electrical fire usually means a short of some kind.
I once had an electrical fire in my steering column. It was a Toyota Celica GT. It was just minutes after I got it back from a body shop that did repairs from a minor collision. Needless to say, they weren't well versed in Japanese electrical systems and crossed wired something.
Please let us know what the problem was so whatever it was we can look out for.

 

[earlmader]

well, the last I knew three things are required for fire... Fuel, Spark, & Oxygen... Just driving down the road @ 78 MPH is not going to start a fire. If it wasn't electrical fire, then something got too hot (like some insulation maybe) or you have a fuel / oil leak. I have ran my ecosport (1.0) @ 78MPH many of times going to my fathers house and never had an issue. (6 hour drive)

 

[Obsolete]

If your oil is low and you run it at higher rpm for 5 hours it can start on fire. There has been no additional information other than the speed they were going and it just started on fire… some people think if you get synthetic oil and a high mile filter you can run it 15000 miles and it’s fine and the maintenance is kept up to them. You still should periodically check the oil level we have no idea because the information isn’t there. So yes a car driving at highway speed most definitely can start on fire because low oil and higher Rpm. Even incorrect oil could possibly start a fire if ran long enough like that if you put 15w40 in a 0w20 car parts of the engine aren’t lubricated period.

 

[XR650R]

The OP hasn't told us any details.