[Nitronium]

Shocking indeed, i read an article in today's paper saying that a Tata Indica bursts into flames yesterday morning. The occupants of the car; a man and his daughter, jumped out of the car moments before the car's engine started burning, and the whole car caught fire. They had noticed smoke coming from the A/C vent, and thankfully, the man had the sense to pull over. By the time the fire services arrived on the scene, the car had burnt almost completely

I think this has happened before, I've seen it on a news channel.

Why is this happening? Any speculations on how/why this happens?

[Brabus E V12]

Ive also seen a few Cielos go up in smoke! Also read about a few Lamborghini Murcielagos catching fire due to some malfunction!

[aaggoswami]

Originally Posted by Nitronium

Why is this happening? Any speculations on how/why this happens?

After the car has burned down, it becomes very difficult to pin point the problem. But mostly what happens that normal wear and tear can lead to this if the electricals are not inspected and if necessary, the wires replaced.

This is not an engineering flaw, but rather the flaw in service quality ( if the car is regularly serviced ) and quality of workmanship if electricals are worked upon including the wires.
However, the biggest problem is when on fits in after market accessories like fog lamps, fancy LED lights here and there, etc. Here if the things are not done properly, this problem occurs. Even when ICE is installed then proper care must be taken i.e. quality of job done must be of high quality.

[greenhorn]

use a proper wiring harness when you isntall your ICE. fuses for the amps, relays for 90/100 bulbs. sadly people wish to skimp on stuff. they dont realise saving a few hundred rupees today may cost them their entire car another day