The Car Care Clinic with the Dr John

1997 Bravada Oldsmobile - Fire under passenger seat

Neil from Barnsley

Question

What can cause a fire to occur under the passenger seat of a 1997 Bravada Oldsmobile?

Answer

Did the fire start under the seat in the carpeting by any chance? If so I would be inspecting the running condition of the engine. Why the engine? The catalytic converter is located under the passenger side seat. If the engine is running poorly the converter will overheat.

If conditions are right the converter can become so hot that it will cause the flooring/carpeting in the vehicle to ignite and burn. I have seen this condition occur in other vehicles as well. Just one of those little reasons that a rough running engine and/or check engine light should not be ignored.

The other possible cause could be if it is an electric seat or has a seat warmer then there could be an electrical problem that caused the fire.

Good Luck!
Dr. John