THE federal government has opened an investigation into a popular SUV after a woman allegedly burned alive while locked inside her vehicle.
On December 9, 2022, 73-year-old Mary Frahm noticed her 2009 Dodge Journey was “acting up” and pulled off to the side of the road.
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The vehicle allegedly started flashing its dashboard lights, turned on the windshield wipers, began to lose power, and had the speedometer “going crazy,” according to the Wisconsin State Journal.
Frahm pulled out on Highway AB in Dunn, Wisconsin and called her fiance to inform him of the problem.
The vehicle allegedly had occasional electrical problems in the four years she had owned it.
However, that day, Frahm was unable to exit the vehicle as the doors remained locked and the windows would not roll down.
Soon, the woman revealed smoke was coming out of the dashboard and she could smell burning, according to the outlet.
Frahm then called 911, however before first responders arrived the vehicle went up in flames.
She was pronounced dead at the scene.
Five months later, on May 1, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened an investigation into the 2009 Dodge Journey.
The NHTSA revealed that its Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) first became aware of the horrific December incident in January.
Since then, the office has been collecting information in order to determine whether it was a “vehicle defect” that caused the reported entrapment.
As of last week, ODI “decided that an investigation is warranted.”
The office’s complaint, filed on February 20, claims there appeared to be something wrong with Frahm’s vehicle’s “electrical system,” “engine,” or something else.
“Vehicle owner was driving and pulled over when all warning lights began flashing, wipers came on, horn started honking, windows would not go down, doors would not unlock, and vehicle started on fire,” the complaint reads.
“Fire appeared to begin in the engine compartment, with fire eventually consuming entire vehicle.”
The ongoing investigation will cover over 82,000 2009 Dodge Journeys, according to the Associated Press.
