On 04/14/2015 my friend parked the Expedition in the driveway and went into the house. Approximately 2 hours later she heard the alarm go off and went outside to investigate. The car had dark tints on the windows but the car looked darker than normal then she realized she couldn’t see in the car because it was full of black smoke. A few seconds later she saw a spark coming from the middle section of the dash board then all the windows blew out at once and the car burst into flames.
She called 911 and the fire department managed to keep the fire from spreading to my house and my neighbor’s house. The fire was so hot it melted the frames of my windows and scorched the siding on that side of the house. The tree, bushes , grass and Liriope on that side of the house caught on fire and there is glass all over my yard. The car was completely destroyed and my insurance company won’t give the car any higher rating than a “good†because they couldn’t inspect the car. The finance company still expects me to pay the remaining $9,148.72.
I had a luxury Ford Expedition with several extra features that was in excellent condition. I originally paid $47,361.75 and was approximately 9 months from paying off the car completely. Now the insurance company wants to pay me the minimum value for the car and by the time I pay off the note I will not have enough money to buy a car that even comes close to what I had before the fire. I understand that Ford has had similar fires in the past with earlier models. Apparently they have not fixed all of the problems. The car was working well until the day it caught on fire.
The Arson Investigator said that it looked like it might have started in the navigation system. Now I am reading that Ford has had problems with a “defective cruise control switch that has caused trucks to go up in flames†similar to how my Expedition was destroyed. I also read that Ford Expeditions as well as other Ford trucks have had a “possible defect in the speed control deactivation switchâ€. The article stated that, “Some switches could leak. Because the switch has electrical power at all times, the leaking fluid could ignite and cause a fire, even when the vehicle is unattendedâ€.
Regardless of how it happened the truck obviously had a defect and I feel that Ford should compensate me so that I can get a vehicle comparable to what I had before the fire. I also feel that Ford should repair the damage to my house and yard. I am also upset because my family could have been in the car and if we had parked the car closer to the house or in the garage we could have lost the house and someone could have been killed.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
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On 04/14/2015 my friend parked the Expedition in the driveway and went into the house. Approximately 2 hours later she heard the alarm go off and went outside to investigate. The car had dark tints on the windows but the car looked darker than normal then she realized she couldn’t see in the car because it was full of black smoke. A few seconds later she saw a spark coming from the middle section of the dash board then all the windows blew out at once and the car burst into flames.
She called 911 and the fire department managed to keep the fire from spreading to my house and my neighbor’s house. The fire was so hot it melted the frames of my windows and scorched the siding on that side of the house. The tree, bushes , grass and Liriope on that side of the house caught on fire and there is glass all over my yard. The car was completely destroyed and my insurance company won’t give the car any higher rating than a “good†because they couldn’t inspect the car. The finance company still expects me to pay the remaining $9,148.72.
I had a luxury Ford Expedition with several extra features that was in excellent condition. I originally paid $47,361.75 and was approximately 9 months from paying off the car completely. Now the insurance company wants to pay me the minimum value for the car and by the time I pay off the note I will not have enough money to buy a car that even comes close to what I had before the fire. I understand that Ford has had similar fires in the past with earlier models. Apparently they have not fixed all of the problems. The car was working well until the day it caught on fire.
The Arson Investigator said that it looked like it might have started in the navigation system. Now I am reading that Ford has had problems with a “defective cruise control switch that has caused trucks to go up in flames†similar to how my Expedition was destroyed. I also read that Ford Expeditions as well as other Ford trucks have had a “possible defect in the speed control deactivation switchâ€. The article stated that, “Some switches could leak. Because the switch has electrical power at all times, the leaking fluid could ignite and cause a fire, even when the vehicle is unattendedâ€.
Regardless of how it happened the truck obviously had a defect and I feel that Ford should compensate me so that I can get a vehicle comparable to what I had before the fire. I also feel that Ford should repair the damage to my house and yard. I am also upset because my family could have been in the car and if we had parked the car closer to the house or in the garage we could have lost the house and someone could have been killed.
- Linda M., Houston, TX, US