Hotwheels! Family’s horror as Mercedes toy car bursts into flames minutes after their young children were playing on it
- Car was recharging under a tree in the family’s garden when it caught fire
- Pauline Thomson, from Broughty Ferry, said children had been playing with it
- The mother thanked the fire service for arriving quickly to put out the flames
A mother was horrified when a Mercedes ride-on car burst into flames minutes after her seven-year-old son was playing with it.
The vehicle, which is licensed by the luxury car brand, was a year old when it burned out in less than 10 minutes into a drive in the family’s front garden on Boxing Day.
Pauline Thomson, 43, from Broughty Ferry, said she was relieved her son and six of his young cousins were not hurt and thanked the fire service for arriving quickly to put it out.
The vehicle, which is licensed by the luxury car brand, was a year old when it burned out in less than 10 minutes into a drive in the family’s front garden on Boxing Day
She said: ‘The kids were playing with it but it ran out of charge so they left it under a tree in the garden.
‘Just minutes later, flames were leaping out of it. It could have been a tragic accident. Imagine if one of our children had been inside.
‘The car is normally inside our house too so if it had happened indoors it could have destroyed our home. We were relieved our children were safe. It was concerning and frightening.
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‘We didn’t know if the battery could cause an explosion. Thankfully the fire service arrived really quickly.’
All customers who purchased cars from the same batch have been notified by the company about the fire.
Mrs Thomson added that although the fire should never have occurred in a children’s toy she said suppliers, Kids Cars Direct, had been ‘exceptional’ in its response.
Pauline Thomson, 43, from Broughty Ferry, said she was relieved no one was hurt. Pictured: The melted remains of the vehicle
‘The company have been excellent,’ she said. ‘We have been blown over with how co-operative they have been. The managing director was on the phone within several hours.
‘They were going to collect it but the car was completely destroyed so there was no point. Our main concern is that we wanted to make sure people are aware this has happened.’
Kids Cars Direct say the incident has been reported to them by the customer but would not comment further until establishing the possible cause.
The toy, manufactured by global company Kalee, can no longer be purchased having been superseded by a more popular model in 2017.
Both companies have said they have received no other similar reports with regard to any of their cars. Kalee’s production department and engineers are investigating.
All customers who purchased cars from the same batch have been notified by the company about the fire. Pictured: A file photo of one of the products
Kids Cars Direct told MailOnline it was investigating the issue with the manufacturer.
It said the car was among a batch of 30 that were imported in mid-2017 which are no longer on sale.
He added: ‘The manufacturer, Kalee, have confirmed that they haven’t experienced this issue previously and I can confirm that neither have we.
‘They are a large manufacturer that has sold this particular item and similar models across the world into global retailers.’
MailOnline has contacted Kalee for comment.
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