That covers the number of times vehicles have caught fire. It doesn't reference the cause (e.g. spontaneous combustion vs. as a result of a crash).

The NFPA has data on that too. Fire causes are:

- 47% mechanical

- 21% electrical

- 7% intentional

- 6% exposure

- 4% crash, overturn, run-over

- 2% smoking

So crashes are a relatively rare cause. They also break it down by the area the fire started:

- 63% engine area, running gear, or wheel area

- 11% passenger/operator area

- 5% cargo/trunk

- 3% exterior

- 2% fuel tank or line

Interpolating between those numbers, you might guess that between 20% and 40% of fires could be described as "engine spontaneously combusting." That would be 45,000 - 90,000 per year in the US.

So despite you never having heard of it, it does happen.

[0] https://www.nfpa.org/vehiclefires, numbers above from report table 8 & 9

Thanks for finding that data. That's interesting. I'm amazed that that happens, because absent people bringing it up when talking about Tesla I've never really heard that before.

Most interesting is that the first part of an ICE to catch on fire is most frequently the electrical wiring. And even if it is a flammable liquid (the second most likely cause), it's only a 42% chance that liquid was gasoline!

Thanks again, it's interesting reading.

Likely the reason you’ve never heard of car fires before is that they are so common that they are not news.

I personally have had the car I was driving catch fire spontaneously. Once I was inside, once nearby. Funny thing, same car, different causes.

I'm glad you got out safely. Judging by all the replies it's far more likely than I guessed. I've been lucky.