2012 V12 Vantage fire -- cause determined/Fan Control Module

[JeffYoung]

I posted back in August that after 4 years of flawless ownership, I lost my 2012 V12 Vantage (one of the final 40 here in the US) to a fire.

Aston, my insurance company (who paid out already to me) and the dealership arranged for a comprehensive root cause analysis that included 50 xrays and was concluded on October 12, 2018. The initial conclusion is the fan control module under the dash arced, causing the fire which ultimately destroyed the car in approximately 10 minutes.

Aston is talking to the fan control module supplier per the emails I have seen. However, I wanted everyone to know about this issue. Maybe it was a one off issue with this particular fan control module, or it could have been an interaction issue with the wiring harness.

[silverspeed]

JeffYoung said:

I posted back in August that after 4 years of flawless ownership, I lost my 2012 V12 Vantage (one of the final 40 here in the US) to a fire.

Aston, my insurance company (who paid out already to me) and the dealership arranged for a comprehensive root cause analysis that included 50 xrays and was concluded on October 12, 2018. The initial conclusion is the fan control module under the dash arced, causing the fire which ultimately destroyed the car in approximately 10 minutes.

Aston is talking to the fan control module supplier per the emails I have seen. However, I wanted everyone to know about this issue. Maybe it was a one off issue with this particular fan control module, or it could have been an interaction issue with the wiring harness.

Hi Jeff - not a pleasant experience and really sorry to hear you suffered a total loss. Thanks for the information regarding the cause . Just wondered if you can you remember if the car was locked when you left it ? I'm assuming a locking process would cut the power to most modules ? Did you manage to find another Aston to replace it ?

[woodsypedia]

I'm glad they've found the cause - let's hope for further information from the factory soon.

[john ryan]

The same low spec unit fitted to flammable Vauxhalls?

[bignoise]

Hi Jeff

Thanks for taking time to share this info and I hope you find automotive happiness

[Cold]

john ryan said:

The same low spec unit fitted to flammable Vauxhalls?

Ahh, I read it as being the (radiator) cooling fans circuit rather than the HVAC. I wonder which one it was?

[MarkwG]

john ryan said:

The same low spec unit fitted to flammable Vauxhalls?

The Vauxhall problem related to cars with either no or manual aircon: I imagine all Vantage V12s would have auto aircon?

[Ken Figenus]

There used to be a 'hedgehog' (looked like a thyristor with spiky heat sink on it) on E39 BMW's that could go low resistance and, being permanently live, you would come back to a dead car overnight as it switched the HVAC fan on under this faulty condition. They would also get very hot... Wonder if there are any similarities here - this thyristor was the fan control 'module'...