Ford Cruise Control Fire & Recall Lawyers:
If your Ford vehicle caught on fire and caused personal injuries or damaged your home or other property, contact one of our experienced Ford Cruise Control Fire and Recall Lawyers for a free consultation by clicking here or calling us toll free at 1-888-603-3636.
Our Ford Recall Lawyers have successfully represented over 200 Ford owners whose vehicles, homes and other property caught on fire as a result of the defective cruise control switches and have recovered over $50 Million in settlements on their behalves.
Ford Cruise Control Recall Fires
Many modern vehicles come equipped with a cruise control device used to maintain a constant speed without the driver having to hold down the accelerator pedal. These devices are often utilized on the highway for long-distance trips. When it comes time to slow or stop the vehicle, the driver must disengage the device. This is usually done by tapping the brake pedal. This tap of the brake pedal initiates the speed control deactivation switch (SCDS), which then disables the cruise control and allows the car to slow down.
The SCDS used by Ford Motor Company (Ford) costs about $21. The switch is located under the hood of the vehicle, attached to the brake master cylinder on one end and connected to the cruise control on the other. The cruise control switch is wired through the same electrical circuit used to power the vehicle’s brake lights. According to Federal law, the electrical circuit controlling the brake lights must be powered at all times so that the brake lights will function even if the car is turned off. Because the SCDS was wired together with the brake lights, the cruise control switch is powered at all times. This creates the potential for disaster: a continuously-powered switch sitting right next to a reservoir of flammable liquid.
Over time, each application of the brakes puts vacuum pressure on a seal in the switch. This seal can then fail, allowing brake fluid to leak into the switch, which causes corrosion. This corrosion can then cause the switch to overheat and ignite a fire.
Many investigators have said that fires can break out if brake fluid leaks from the master cylinder into the electrical side of the switch through a crack in the SCDS seal. This can cause a fire even days after the engine has been turned off, because of the continuously-powered switch.
These fires often occur hours after the driver parks the vehicle and turns off the ignition. The fires can occur anywhere a car is parked, including garages, driveways and parking lots. Unfortunately, these fires often lead to more than just the destruction of the vehicle. They can even lead to the destruction of homes and cause severe burns or death. Tragically, many of these fires occur while people are sleeping in their homes, unaware of any danger.
According to an article in the August 13, 2008 issue of The New York Times, Ford had to do a “recall on the recall,” affecting approximately 225,000 vehicles. This is apparently because dealerships had improperly repaired these vehicles with a new wiring harness that failed to provide the proper protection against an overheated switch.
Unfortunately, many Ford owners have failed to bring their vehicles into dealerships for repairs. Even with the recalls, it is estimated that nearly 6 million Ford owners could still be driving vehicles with faulty switches. Although Ford has had trouble keeping these recall replacement parts on hand, they now claim -according to a June 26 report on their website- that parts needed to fix the defective speed-control systems are ready and waiting at dealerships around the country.
Ford Recall Timeline
Beginning on May 13, 1999, Ford started recalling several of its vehicles due to concerns over faulty cruise control switches. These speed control deactivation switches were susceptible to corrosion and could potentially overheat and catch fire. This initial recall involved nearly 279,000 vehicles. The models affected were any Ford Crown Victoria, Lincoln Town Car, or Mercury Grand Marquis manufactured in 1992 or 1993.
On January 27, 2005, Ford initiated another voluntary recall affecting about 738,490 additional vehicles. This recall concerned the same problem with the speed control deactivation switch and its potential to overheat and ignite. This recall affected any Ford F-150, Expedition, or Lincoln Navigator made in model year 2000 as well as any 2001 F-150 Supercrew.
On September 7, 2005, Ford recalled about 3.8 million more vehicles for the same speed control deactivation switch problem. This time the recall affected any 1994-1996 Ford Bronco, 1994-1999 F-250 Light Duty, 1994-2002 Ford F-150, 1997-2002 Ford Expedition, 1998-2002 Lincoln Navigator and 2002 Lincoln Blackwood.
On July 27, 2006, Ford again issued a voluntary recall for another approximately 1.2 million vehicles. Once again, the problem was the same. Defective cruise control switches were prone to catching fire. This recall affected any 1994-2002 F-250 through F-550 Super Duty, 1994-1996 Econoline, 1996-2002 E-450, 1998 Ford Explorer and Lincoln Mountaineer, 2000-2002 Excursions.
On March 1, 2007, Ford expanded its recall to include about 155,000 more vehicles due to the same cruise control switch problem. The vehicles affected by this recall include any 2002 Ford E-550 and any early 2003 F-150, F-250 through F-550 Super Duty, Ford Excursion, Ford E-550 and Lincoln Blackwood.
On August 2, 2007, Ford initiated yet another voluntary recall involving nearly 3.6 million vehicles. This faulty switch recall affected any 1992-1998 Ford Crown Victoria, Mercury Grand Marquis and Lincoln Town Car, 1993-1998 Lincoln Mark VIII, 1993-1995 Ford Taurus, 1994 Mercury Capri, 1998-2002 Ford Ranger, 1999-2001 Ford Explorer and Mercury Mountaineer, 2001-2002 Ford Explorer Sport and Explorer Sport Trac, 1992-1993 and 1997-2003 Ford E-150 through E-350, 2003 E-450, 1993 Ford Bronco, 1993 Ford F-Series, 1995-2002 Ford F53 Motorhome chassis and 2003-2004 Ford F-150 Lightning.
On February 1, 2008, Ford recalled nearly 225,000 vehicles that underwent wiring harness repair. These cars and trucks were fitted with a faulty service part that did not have the proper fusing protection for specific vehicle configurations, or was mistakenly applied to vehicles for which the harness was not designed. Vehicles included in this recall were any 1992-2003 Econoline van, 1992-1998 Ford Crown Victoria and Mercury Grand Marquis, 1992-1995 Lincoln Town Car, 1993 Ford Bronco, 1993-1995 Taurus SHO and 1993 Ford F-Series.
What to do in Case of a Vehicle Fire
If you experienced a vehicle fire, there are certain steps you should take to help your claim. First, contact your insurance company to report the incident. Also, be sure to preserve the physical evidence of the fire so that your claim can be established. In addition, contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in order to report your vehicle fire. The NHTSA is responsible for investigating automobile defects. They can be reached through their website at http://www.nhtsa.gov/ or by phone at 1-888-DASH-2-DOT. Finally, contact one of the Experienced Ford Cruise Control Recall Lawyers at Zehl & Associates by clicking here or calling us toll free at 1-888-603-3636.
Recalled Ford Vehicles List:
Trucks
- 1993-2003 Ford F-150
- 1993-2003 Ford F-250
- 1993-2003 Ford F-350
- 1993-2003 Ford F-450
- 1993-2003 Ford F-550
- 1993-2002 Ford Super Duty
- 2001 Ford F-150 Supercrew
- 2002-2003 Lincoln Blackwood
- 2003-2004 Ford F-150 Lightning
Cars
- 1992-1997 Ford Crown Victoria
- 1992-1997 Lincoln Town Car
- 1992-1997 Mercury Grand Marquis
- 1993 Ford Taurus SHO
- 1993-1998 Lincoln Mark VIII
- 1994 Mercury Capri
- SUVs
- 1993-1996 Ford Bronco
- 1997-2002 Ford Expedition
- 1998-2001 Ford Explorer
- 1998-2001 Mercury Mountaineer
- 1998-2002 Lincoln Navigator
- 2000-2003 Ford Excursion
- 2001-2002 Ford Explorer Sport
- 2001-2002 Ford Explorer Sport Trac
Vans
- 1992-1993, 1997-2002 E-150
- 1992-1993, 1997-2002 E-250
- 1992-1993, 1997-2002 E-350
- 1994-1996 Ford Econoline
- 1996-2002 Ford E-450
RVs and Motor Homes
- 1995-2002 Ford F53 Motor Home
Vehicles with Similar Switches that have not been recalled:
Trucks
- 1998-2002 Ford Ranger
Cars
- 1998 Mercury Grand Marquis
SUVs
- 1992-1997 Mercury Mountaineer
Vans
- 1992-1993, 1997-2002 Ford Econoline
- 1994-2002 Ford Windstar
Contact Our Experienced Ford Cruise Control Recall Lawyers at 1-888-603-3636 or by Clicking Here
Owners of the recalled Ford cars and trucks who experienced a vehicle fire and also suffered other significant property damage or personal injury should contact the experienced trial lawyers at Zehl & Associates today. Our Ford recall lawyers have years of experience handling these and other defective product cases in state and federal courts across the country. Simply click here or call us toll free at 1-888-603-3636 for a free consultation with one of our attorneys.