This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
On 9/19/05 I received a recall regarding a problem with the speed control mechanism on my 1995 Ford F150. On 9/20/05 the local dealer (sanders Ford) disconnected the wiring harness to the speed control mechanism. I was told that nothing else on my vehicle would be affected. To my surprise, the "stop gap" procedure performed on my vehicle does not work without rendering the vehicle unsafe to operate, as I discovered later in the day that the horn on my vehicle was not functioning. I returned my vehicle to sanders Ford on 9/21/05 and was basically told that nothing could be done to return my horn to a functional state unless I signed a waiver and assumed responsibility for any damages resulting from the defect identified in the recall. The part to correct the problem is not expected until about late November. In the meantime, and as long as the wiring harness is disconnected, my vehicle is unsafe to operate without a horn. The following was E-mailed to Ford Motor Company on 9/21/05 : "the response to my last E-mail failed to address my real concern (no horn after the wiring harness is disconnected). I cannot safely operate my vehicle without a horn until the fused wiring harness is installed. Nor do I feel I should have to sign a waiver if the wiring to my horn is reconnected, as advised by the dealer. Need resolution." The above information, in no way is intended to criticize or complain about the service rendered by sanders Ford or any of its employees. Quite the contrary, I believe they handled the situation very professionally under the circumstances, especially Mr. Arnold and Mr. Renchen.
My son was stopped at an atm machine. He noticed smoke coming from under the hood. He raised the hood to find the wire harness on fire. He immediately ran into a local store, grabbed a fire extinguisher and put out the fire. We called the local Ford dealership and they stated that there was only a problem with F-150 trucks dated years 1999-2001. Our private mechanic called Ford to see about getting a wire harness for the vehicle and was told they didn't have the part for a vehicle older than 7 years. We had to use a used harness to fix the truck. We still have the original harness. The master cylinder, brake lines, inside fender well and wire harness including fuse box had to be replaced.
Went to work truck was parked 1 hour fire under hood put out fire it burned up wiring harness, master cylinder, power booster. Took damaged parts off. Truck has not been repaired. Old parts available.
In the summer of 2003 we parked our 1995 Ford F150 pickup in our driveway around 2pm. No one drove the vehicle again. At 11:00 pm our neighbor came running over because he'd smelled smoke. The vehicle had caught on fire by itself. We and both neighbors tried to put the fire out but by the time the fire department got there (20 minutes later) the vehicle was totaled. It had completely burned out the engine and the inside of the cab. The tires in the front even exploded. The firemen couldn't understand how it happened but they said that it wasn't the first time something like this had happened. We have insurance and were reimbursed for the damages. We want to report this to add it to the information that's being collected on the Ford fires.
- Phoenix, AZ, USA
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My one owner L995 Ford pickup had electrical failure after being parked at my home for 2/3 hours and burned and was totaled. We were lucky to be home to call the fire department and to stop other damages from occurring. During a regular inspection in Feb. The cruise control was not working and the shop order the needed part and it is still on back order. Since Ford has a recall on cruise control problems that can cause fires, I sent a complaint to them and they said there is no recall on the vehicle, and we regret any inconveniences that you have experienced. They suggested my insurance company had the right to file subrogation against Ford but is there any thing we can do? at the least Ford should recall all cruise control's not just the 2000 and newer. I wanted to notify you that it is a good chance that my vehicle was destroyed because it was not on recall and should have been. I sent pictures to tri county Ford where the truck was purchases new and have pictures that I would be happy to send on request through E-mail. Thank you, thomas (eddie)edmunds
I own a 1995 Ford F-150 4X4. I bought the truck in December of 1998, and it had approximately 87,000 miles on it. I started having trouble with the cruise control shortly after I bought the truck, but I also had trouble with the speedometer. I thought that the cruise control was caused by the speedometer problem. I also had trouble with the automatic transmission, which I contributed to the speedometer fluctuation. Since then, I have had the rearend rebuilt, and have replaced the transmission. I still experience problems with the transmission, and the cruise control. I have never had a fire in the engine compartment, but I am wondering if the recent information about a short in the cruise control could be causing the trouble. All work has been done by a reputable Ford garage, and they have not been able to find the reason for the continued problems.
1995 Ford F-150 with 302 engine the anti-lock brake light began flashing on 7-09-04. On 8-2-04 the truck caught on fire in front of my office 3 hours after it was shut down. A passerby shouted in the door that my truck was smoking. When I popped the hood open, there were flames coming from the connector in front of the brake fluid resevoir. I put the fire out with a fire extinguisher, but it immediately started again. I pulled the positive cable off the battery and used the extinguisher again. That put the fire out for good. I had the truck towed to capital Ford in raleigh, nc. Capital Ford replaced the cruise deactivation switch on 8-9-04 along with the master cylinder damaged by the fire. Total cost not including tow $ $489.62 unfortunately I had the damaged part discarded. It is not available for inspection.
Vehicle caught on fire while parked in the driveway. The fire started under the hood. Two city workers extinguished the fire. Dealer and the manufacturer were not notified.
The consumer heard a loud noise, and all of a sudden noticed that there was a fire underneath the hood of the parked vehicle. Results showed that there was a shortage with the cruise control switch, which caused the engine to catch on fire unexpectedly. The manufacturer was notified by the consumer.
Vehicle was parked. One hour later there was smoke coming from the vehicle. Suddenly vehicle burst in to flames. Consumer contacted the manufacturer, and was told that there was nothing they could do.
The consumer experienced an underhood fire on the passenger side of the vehicle. The consumer was unaware that the fire was occurring until the fire trucks had come. Scc
Driving along on the highway, heard a loud noise, saw smoke coming from the hood area through the vents. Got out of the vehicle and it burst into flames, burning the entire vehicle.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Houston, TX, USA