'There's nothing left': Man's new Ford hybrid F-150 catches fire, gets engulfed in flames
CANTON, Mich. (FOX 2) - A Metro Detroit man's new 2023 Ford F-150 hybrid caught fire, engulfing the inside of the cabin with smoke in Canton.
The blaze left Anthony Zeni hauling his boat desperate to climb out - and more importantly get his young daughter to safety.
Moments later, the truck was unrecognizable - leaving a charred frame. Photos show what’s left of the 8-month-old truck.
Zeni said he was taking his boat to storage when he noticed smoke coming from the hood while on the freeway.
"Once I came to a stop, that grey smoke turned to black smoke. The fire started coming through the hood," he said.
"I yelled to my brother get my daughter," he said. "At that point I wondered 'Is the car going to blow? Am I going to lose my daughter?'
"We ran away. as we’re running away, the entire truck was up in flames, and there’s nothing left."
FOX 2: "As you’re seeing this car go up in flames, what is going through your mind?"
"I was happy that my daughter, I, and my brother were safe," he said. "But I was also upset seeing it burn to the ground knowing that’s my truck. I’m losing it."
Zeni said flames destroyed the truck in less than five minutes, but it felt like an eternity.
He, his brother, and his 4-year old-daughter are okay physically. However, the incident has traumatized them.
"It’s definitely shaken my trust," he said. "I can’t get another hybrid. I can’t."
Zeni hopes that sharing his story can be a warning for others.
The National Transportation Safety Board says hybrids are more likely to catch fire than gas-powered and electric vehicles.
Just two years ago, Ford recalled 125,000 hybrid models of its Escape, Maverick, and Lincoln Corsair models because of three vehicle fires.
"I feel that Ford needs to take some responsibility in this," Zeni said. "I wish I would get a better answer than just ‘deal with your insurance.’ I want to feel some empathy from them, see it, and hopefully, they can rectify the situation."
A Ford spokesperson released a statement saying:
"We are aware of this incident and are working to obtain more information about the vehicle from the customer to assist in our investigation."
