A Georgia family is suing the British automaker after their 2017 Land Rover Range Rover allegedly caught fire while parked, destroying their home and personal property in a blaze that caused millions of dollars in reported damages.
Lawsuit Blames Infotainment Controller
According to the lawsuit, Brett and Joy Mitchell had parked the SUV in their attached carport days before the fire occurred, shortly before Christmas. The lawsuit alleges that a malfunctioning subcomponent inside the vehicle’s Infotainment Master Controller triggered a thermal ignition.
The module continuously draws quiescent current to keep media and navigation features on standby, according to the allegations. The resulting fire allegedly spread from the vehicle to the residential structure, eventually destroying the property.
Fire Destroyed Nearly $6 Million Home
The home was under contract to sell for nearly six million dollars when the fire occurred. Firefighters reportedly battled the blaze for more than seven hours before the property was declared a total loss.
The lawsuit estimates the overall economic damages at seven million dollars. It also alleges that the Mitchell family suffered significant physical injuries and psychological trauma while escaping the rapidly spreading fire.
Land Rover Has Faced Other Fire Recalls
The lawsuit comes as the manufacturer has previously issued several fire-risk recalls involving various models. Those recalls covered threats ranging from damaged water pump belts to missing turbocharger gaskets.
The latest case centers on a different component, with the lawsuit specifically identifying the infotainment module as the alleged source of the fire.
Previous Range Rover Fire in London
The article also points to another Range Rover fire that occurred several years ago inside a crowded London airport parking structure. A diesel Range Rover caught fire, with the blaze reportedly melting through concrete and destroying roughly fifteen hundred other vehicles.
That incident was blamed on a core electrical fault, while the Georgia lawsuit identifies the Infotainment Master Controller as the alleged cause of the Mitchell family’s fire.
What the Lawsuit Alleges
The case places the vehicle’s electrical components at the center of a multimillion-dollar legal dispute. The allegations describe a fire that began while the 2017 Land Rover Range Rover was parked and subsequently spread to the attached residential property.
The reported losses include the destruction of the home and personal property, with total economic damages estimated at seven million dollars, along with allegations of physical injuries and psychological trauma suffered by the family.
The lawsuit ultimately focuses on an alleged malfunction within the Infotainment Master Controller and its role in the fire that destroyed the Mitchells’ property.
