EV up in flames in HCMC after non-standard headlight installation

A VinFast VF 3 in Ho Chi Minh City caught fire after being fitted with non-standard headlights, reportedly with double the capacity of the original ones.

The car’s owner, Hoai An, said she received the vehicle in late November last year. While waiting for its license plate, she upgraded it with several accessories, including new headlights.

The incident happened one night in January while An was driving in District 1. She noticed a burning plastic smell but hesitated to stop due to heavy traffic. After about 15 minutes, smoke began to rise from the car’s hood, quickly followed by flames.

An managed to exit the vehicle safely, and bystanders attempted to put out the fire. Unfortunately, the blaze consumed the car, leaving only its metal frame behind.

An investigation is underway to identify the exact cause of the fire. However, An suspects the issue was caused by the aftermarket headlights. Technicians have suggested that the increased power capacity of the new headlights might have overloaded the vehicle’s wiring.

An explained that the original headlights had a power capacity of 55 watts, whereas the replacements were 90 watts, nearly double. She noted that she rarely used the new headlights since she mostly drove during the day, but they were in use the night of the incident.

The fire reportedly began in the car’s hood, ruling out the possibility of a battery-related issue, An added.