My 2003 Silverado caught fire yesterday

[03SIL]

In need of some help so I came to the forum.

 

My 2003 Silverado 1500 caught fire yesterday instantly after I inserted my cigarette lighter into the cigarette lighter socket. Luckily I had a fire extinguisher in the garage but the damage is already done. Many of the wires and harness are charred. The fuse under the hood is completely melted.

 

I can fix just about anything but I'm at a loss for words right now. Whether to have it fixed somehow or just call my insurance company.

 

Not the first, second or third problem I've had with this truck that I bought new.

 

Can anyone suggest something? Has this happened to anyone before? Luckily nobody else was in the truck at the time.

 

[kstruckcountry]

I would have been on the phone to the insurance company while I still had the extinguisher in hand.

[gmtech4]

Go thru the motions with the insurance , maybe it's a write off ... As for the cause , seems like a short to ground , it's easy to find , just look for the melted wire welded to a bracket !!! But in the end , who cares , truck maybe getting crushed . Ya can follow a schematic but why bother imo

[chupe442]

WOW!!! That SUCKS! Call insurance and hope for the best! IMO.. After you get this all fixed and put back together on your own, you would be too paranoid to turn the key again... Say a prayer and let her go.. There are more trucks in your future... Good luck!

[Duelin]

Did you have any aftermarket accessories installed? If so some insurance companies won't cover the loss (self inflicted problem). Anyway if it was mine I would call the insurance company and tow it to the dealer. That way if there is any problems its between the dealer and the insurance company. Also a dealer will have a lot more resources than the independent shops to fix it. You don't know if your ECM or BCM have been damaged. If so the new one will need to be programed.

 

Anyway Good Luck.

[03SIL]

No aftermarket accessories inside.

 

Anyways...an update.

 

Insurance covered every penny and I got the truck back today.

 

Almost 6k in damages. I am surprised they didn't total it.

[Duelin]

Glad to hear everything turned out OK for you. Did they mention anything about what cause the problem in the first place?

[Scott Nosworthy]

This just happened to my 04 silverado quadrasteer, ridiculous the circuit protection did not protect the wiring. Took out the center of the dash and everything in it, the visors, headliner, upper console. 

 

03silv what had to be replaced on your 03? I loved my truck before the fire and I fear its a loss since I only had plpd coverage on my truck

[Scott Nosworthy]

I dont know how to proceed with repairing this truck. Might have caught it too late

[Supreme Pizza]

I say just go to the junk yard, and buy a dash. Rip all that stuff out of there and replace it. 

 

Or, buy another identical truck that needs a motor, and have your motor swapped for $300. Then use your old rig as a parts truck. Spare tires and wheels, spare trans, spare everything. Keep the blown motor for parts too. Spare alternator, starter, sensors, etc. 

[Scott Nosworthy]

I am leaning towards that route I just think finding a quadrasteer truck with a blown motor might be more difficult than a regular Silverado.

 

Does anyone know if the harnesses were the same  in ‘03 to ‘05 Silverados that would allow me to use a donor trucks harness that didn’t have quadrasteer? Maybe 2500hd’s , 1500hd’s with crew cab and sb? My truck is a 2500 non hd 2004

[Supreme Pizza]

You might be able to locate a motor on eBay, and use the "parts compatibility" to find your answer. There are issues with stuff like "8th digit of VIN needs to be J, or W, or 7, etc. Also, options need to match - like OPT D17 or OPT L49 etc.