A carport fire at a housing complex in ʻEwa Beach that spread to several units was caused by a recalled Toyota SUV, the Honolulu Fire Department confirmed this week.
HFD said the battery terminal of a 2017 Toyota RAV4 caught fire early Sunday morning in the carport on Hanapouli Circle before flames spread to the unit above.
The damage estimate is $901,000 to the property and $50,000 to the contents. There was also an additional $4,000 in damage to the cars in the adjacent carport and paint on the structure directly across the driveway.
No one was injured in the fire.
Toyota announced the recall of the 2013 to 2018 models of the RAV4s in November due to issues with replacement batteries.
The problem stems from the 12-volt battery tops possibly having smaller dimensions than the original battery. If the hold-down clamp isn’t tightened correctly for the smaller size, the battery could short-circuit and spark a fire.
Owners with the recalled vehicle can bring it to a Toyota dealership for replacement of the battery hold-down clamp, battery tray, and positive terminal cover with improved parts at no charge.
