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Ford F150 Engine Fires

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Flaming Fords • Ford Recalls Millions of Vehicles to Fix Fire Danger • 1.6 Million Ford Windstars Investigated for Fire Hazard • NHTSA Issues Second Fire Warning for Ford Cars, Trucks, and SUVs • Report: Millions of Fire-Prone Fords Still on the Roads • Ford: Parts Now Available to Fix Faulty Cruise Control • Ford Trucks Burn in Virginia, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina • Feds Probe Ford Windstar for Fire Hazard • Ford Truck Suspected in North Texas House Fire • Ford Cruise Control Fire Strikes Florida Car Dealership • Ford Hopes to Wind Down Recall of Fire-Prone Vehicles • Ford Expedition Suspected in Fatal Ohio Home Fire • Ford Fires Continue Despite Long-Delayed Federal Warning • Feds Warn Some Ford Trucks and Cars Can Erupt in Flames • Ford Fire Lawsuits Spread • Ford Recalls 57,000 More Trucks, SUVS for Fire Hazard • Ford Fires Strike in Minnesota, California • Ford Plans Another Recall to Fix Fire Hazard • Ford Fire Hazard Recall Creeps Along • Ford Escape, Mazda Tribute Continue Ford Fire Tradition • Ford Fires Kill Pets and Spread Despair as Year Ends • Ford Lacks Parts for Fire Recall Repair • New F150 Erupts in Flames as Ford Truck Fires Rage On • Red Hot Texas Car-B-Que • Kerry Vows Action to Get Flaming Fords Off the Road • Flaming Ford Scandal Disgraces Ford, Feds • Ford Tries Again to Fix Fire Problem with Massive Recall • One Ford the Recall Missed • Ford Stops Sales of Big Super Duty, Recalls 2008 Trucks • Ford Recalls 155,000 More Trucks to Fix Fire Hazard • Feds Probe Fires in Ford Escape, Mazda Tribute • Feds Wind Up Ford Engine Fire Probe with Massive Recall • Ford Truck Fires Mount as Recall Rolls Slowly • Ford Trucks Burn As Recall Fiddles • Ford Truck Fire Fix Delayed by Parts Shortage • Ford Recalls 4 Million Trucks to Fix Fire Risk • Nader Demands NHTSA Warn Ford Truck Owners • Wrongful Death Suit Charges House Fire Started in F-150 • Feds Look Deeper for Ford Fire Causes • Recall Leaves Many Questions Unanswered • Houston Lawyers Sue Ford • Ford Recalls Some Fire-Prone Models • Feds Probe Ford F-150 Engine Fires • Ford Recall Was Biggest Ever --- • Bronco • Crown Victoria • Dump truck • Expedition • Explorer • F-150 • Other F-Series Trucks • Focus • Mustang • Ranger Pickup • Taurus • Windstar

The damage caused by Ford's fire-prone trucks is immense, as our growing collection of complaints demonstrates. Consumers have lost their lives, livelihoods, homes and, of course, their trucks.

Nelson of Barrigada , United States October 28, 2009

My f150 truck was burned up and is now totally damaged. I was never informed of any recall or any information about engine burns. My insurance paid the rest of my loan and I am left with nothing. I truly believe that this is a failure on Ford company to ensure all their consumers are aware of such unsafe situations about their products. Ford owes me a new truck or the equivalent amount.

Benjamin of Malden, MA October 27, 2009

My 1999 FORD F-150 caught fire in the engine. It happen while driving it. I sent Steven pictures of my truck, And they tell me there is no way for them to say it was from a bad part or if it was from me and poor care of my truck. I never thought a engine can catch on fire unless oil builds up on the engine? My truck is very clean.

I had to buy another truck, As nice as this my sound, Im a contractor and this is a heartship for me! As well as all i could fine was one that really don't fit my needs! I had just put 750.00 into the truck for ball joints. I guess the economic damage is the 400 per month i have to come up with. I don't sleep very much and worry alot more because of the money i need to come up with because of this.

Jim of Republic, MO October 27, 2009

On October 18, 2009 my wife was at home and had parked her 2001 Ford F-150 in the driveway at about 12:00 noon. At 8:00 pm, she was alerted by neighbors that the truck was on fire and that the fire station (3 blocks away) had been alerted. The truck was purchased new by us in 2000 and had been maintained meticulously and had never had any casualty repairs.

By the time the firetrucks arrived (approx. 7 minutes) the entire front of the truck was involved and the truck ended up a total loss. In addition, my 2004 Chevrolet Silverado that was parked next to it, recieved over $5,000 worth of damage as the entire right side was melted and heat damaged. Additionally, the garage door that was 15 feet in fron of the F-150 was warped and all the vinyl siding on the garage face was melted.

Fortunately, no one was injured, however, there was only liability insurance on both vehicles, so they are a total loss. The house had insurance, but with a $1,000 deductible, little of the damage (estimated $3,000) is covered. The sad thing is that it appears that Ford is taking no responsibility for the liability of their defective products. The loss of the 2 trucks amounts to $29,000 and there is a $1000 loss on the house. In addition, we are having to borrow a car and make do without a pickup. As my wife is a horse trainer, this is causing significant problems.

Donnie of Olin, NC October 18, 2009

my wife drove her 1997 ford explorer to her sister's house and was there only 15 minutes when a passerby beat on the door to tell them the explorer was on fire. smoke was rolling out 2 slightly opened windows of the vehicle that was parked in the driveway. by the time the fire dept got there, the entire insides of the ford was either burned or damaged. the fireman said it appeared to them to be an electrical fire in the front of the interior. we only had liability insurance so the vehical was a total loss.

to this day my wife still has no car to drive since we are going thru economical cutbacks with my job. we never received any info from ford on a recall all the years we owned the suv. we just found about the problems with the cruise control and wiring problems and feel wronged just like all the other victims of this tradgedy. ford should definately reimbures victims but once again a large corporate company is going to slip away with no punishment, and we have to suffer.

Jan of Benton, AR October 14, 2009

2002 Ford F-150 burnt while sitting in driveway not running. Insurance said that it is a total loss. Insurance will pay off truck but now I have to come up with down payment and pay taxes on another car or truck.

Peter of Sudbury, ON September 17, 2009

I filled up my 1990 Ford E150 Econoline and went to talk to my neighbors after parking it at home. Within ten minutes my neighbour asked if she could fry some eggs on my van that was engulfed in flames.Please refer to your 1990 Ford E150 recall regarding fuel and ignition problems.

Sandra of Arlington, TX August 31, 2009

On 8/21/09, I was doing some last minute school shopping with my 5 year old daughter. I was in my father's 2001 Ford F150 and decided to stop at Target. While in the store I noticed the customers and empoloyees were talking about a car on fire. I walked down the aisle where I had parked and realized that the F150 was the one that started the fire and this fire spread and it took out 5 other vehicles. The firefighter and the investigator mention that it looks like the fire could have started due to recalls on Fords.

I called Steve at the Ford Service Center and I gave him my vin # in which he stated that the F150 had 2 recalls one for the seat belts and the other for the speed control sensor. My fathers truck only had liability insurance which I know the other vehicles will be taken care of, but due to a recall my father is now without a vehicle.

Scottie of Nippa, KY August 23, 2009

A few months ago, my trucking company went out of business. We sold a coal truck and trailer for payoff plus a 1995 Ford F-150 pickup. This morning at approximately 6:30, I was awakened to the sound of a neighbor beating on the door to my house. When I looked out the window to see who was knocking, I saw our Ford truck engulfed in flames. I called 911 and got our 5 year old son out of bed as his bedroom is directly beside the driveway where the truck was parked. Luckily the house was not damaged. The truck had been parked since approximately 3pm yesterday afternoon. I was told by the firemen that there was a recall on these vehicles. The previous owner bought the vehicle new in 1995, but was unaware of any recall.

Kevin of Russellville, AL August 4, 2009

1999 Ford F-150 caught fire in the middle of the night outside residence. Talked with representative of Ford Motor Co. Was told it would be turned over to their legal deparment. Haven't heard anything.

Gary of Uxbridge, ON July 13, 2009

I was involved in an accident with my 2009 Ford F150. The vehicle had 1800 kilometers on it. The accident was an off center left side collision with another F150 (1993 or 1994 model) at less than 60 kilometers per hour. My truck engine burst into flames on cantact and my wife and I had about a minute to get out of the truck before the passenger compartment was filled with smoke. Both vehicles were destoyed in ten minutes.

I lost the entire contents of my truck. Tools and personel property. We were not physically injured but we are both very uncomfortable driving now and we have not had our truck replaced yet.

Kendra of Columbus, GA July 10, 2009

in May of 2009, I drove my 2002 Ford Escape to Walgreens on Wynnton Rd here in Columbus Georgia to get some medication for my daughter. I had just parked my Escape and got out, before I could make it into the store my alarm started going off, so I walked back to my Escape and turn my alarm off and preceeded to go into the store. Well after being in the stor for about 10 minutes I hear a call over the intercom about a green SUV on fire in the parking lot. When I walked out the store my Escape was in full flames. I didnt have any signs that something was wrong with my Escape, because I wasn't smoking or making any funny sounds. The only thing that was shocking to me was when my alarm whent off by it self due to the fact that never happened before.

Now all of the recalls that I've had had been done, and I kept my maintance up on my Escape and is still unsure as to what caused it to catch on fire. I'm so thankful that my children and I was not still riding in the car at that moment.. What is Ford going to do for the people that this has happened to? Now I'm without a car and I don't think it's fair to ignore people when a company should take the blame for there worthless products....

Eris of Mt.Olive , NC May 17, 2009

While at work as a paramedic I was in another county other than where I live , I recieved a call at 3:30 on the morning of May 17,2009 that My 2001 Ford f150 SuperCab 4X4 had burned to the ground. It also caused damage to my Hydra-Sports center console that was about 15ft away from it ,,,,,, This truck had not been driven for 3 days and had no previous problems .....

Steven of Springdale, AR May 16, 2009

1999 ford F150 pick up parked in driveway for over 48 hours ignited brake fluid from sensor on master cylinder according to local fire department. waiting on word from Ford to see if they will assume all or part of responsibility. Truck is very damaged

Manny of Litle Elm, TX April 17, 2009

Manny of Litle Elm TX (04/17/09)
On April 10, 2009, just before i went to bed, i heard a popping sound and looked out the front door. i saw what appreared to be flashes of light. immediatly after opening the front door, the smell of burning rubber hit me. i looked in the driveway and saw that my 2001 ford f-150 was on fire. thankfully the fire department responded in only 3 minutes. but by that time the damage was done. nothing that is rubber or plastic remains and my insurance has totaled my truck. thankfully no one was hurt.

i was told by my insurance that the damage to the house will have to be a seperate claim, leading me to not be so optomistic of the outcome. i spoke with for customer service and was told that there was a recall on that particular vehicle. also, the fire marshall said he had seen this before and thought it was caused by a faulty speed control. my insurance also said due to the age of my vehicle that there was no way to know the real cause of the fire. why is ford beyond reproach? why was this not announced on the world news? does it seem to anyone else that ford's secrecy should be punished? ford cannot enjoy continued impunity.

Amber of Bakersfield, CA April 13, 2009

Amber of Bakersfield CA (04/13/09)
I arrived home at 9pm on Monday April 6 2009. I parked my 2000 Ford F150 in our driveway up against the garage about 4 feet from our front door. I was having trouble sleeping and I heard a noise outside. I looked out my bedroom window and saw nothing. About 30 minutes later I heard a noise that sounded like a pop so I got up again and looked out my window expecting it to be nothing, only this time my truck was on fire. Thank God I wasn't asleep. I yelled at my husband to wake up. I called 911 and grabbed up our children and pets as he tried to put the fire out. It was already to big and unmanageable.

We had to evacuate through the back of our house because the truck was parked right in front of the front door with flames taller than the house. My childrn were hysterical, just as the two of us probably were. As we waited 9 plus minutes for the fire department to arrive all we could do was listen to the horn blow spuratically along with the sounds of shattering glass and signs of explosions. All I could do was wait and wouder if the flames I saw above the roof had burned down the front of our home. Finally neighbors came down the ally along with the police to heelp us out of our back yard.

 Our neighbors had to evacuate too. This happened around 2am. The fire department said we are lucky to be alive. They said our house should have been burned to the ground. Our neighbors said they saw our house on fire. Nobody can really explain why our home was still standing after the flames were extinguished. Our truck is atotal loss, our home needs repair, and my children have nightmares about housefires. Ford never sent us a recall notice. We didn't have a clue. How can anyone allow this to go on?

2000 Ford F150= total loss,electronic devices in truck i.e personal property burned; damage to garage and front porch

David of Hamlin, NY April 7, 2009

David of Hamlin NY (04/07/09)
I have a 2001 Ford F150 that has 84,000 miles on it. Last night it blew a spark plug out of the right rear cylinder.It left no threads in the head and I was told it would cost $3000 to replace the head. It made a loud poping noise that scared the hell out of me and when I looked under the hood the plug blew out of the hole riping the coil out also. Why? I still owe $8000 on this truck and spark plugs fly out?

I had my mechanic install a heli coil for now but he says it won't last but it still cost $200 to install. Long term he said spend $3000 or sell the truck

Christy of Linden, TX March 19, 2009

Christy of Linden TX (03/19/09)
My husband parked his 2007 Ford F150 Harley Davidson truck and when he returned 15 to 20 minutes later it was on fire. By the time the fire department got to it, it was a burnt from bumper to bumper. It appears the fire started in the front of the truck. We are not sure what happened because there isn't anything left to determine where it started. We are very grateful that it was not in our carport.

Delicia of Flint, TX February 28, 2009

Delicia of Flint TX (02/28/09)
My son was burned to death while driving a Lincoln Mark VIII, The Car was recalled 7 months after his death. The cruise control switch was recovered and found to have internally failed.

Troy of Vidor, TX February 24, 2009

Troy of Vidor TX (02/24/09)
On March 3, 2008, while my family and I were going to sleep at approximately 10:30 pm, one of my sons heard a loud pop and looked out a bedroom window to see that our front yard was lit up. My 2001 F-150 was totally engulfed in flames. It had been parked for 6 hours. That night was a very windy night and we fought hard to keep our house from catching fire. It burnt the eaves of our house and melted the inside of the garage door, but luckily the fire department was able to contain the fire. The bumper of my toyota was ruined while I tried to pull the vehicle away from the house. That was definitely a very trying and dramatic experience!!!!!

State Farm Insurance did pay for the truck, but not the damage to our home. They said that the damage to the house would have to be a seperate claim. The repairs still have not been done. Our truck was paid for and we did not receive notice of the faulty cruise control until after it burned down. We did receive one a few weeks later and my wife sent it back to them telling them that it was too late.

Thanks to Ford Motor Company we now have another note with Toyota Financial (definitely not FORD). We absolutely did not want another note. Our goal was to pay off bills, but again thanks to FORD, that is impossible (at least for another 4 years). I have been unemployed for 2 months (like a lot of other people that live in Southeast Texas) and this extra major bill is causing a tremendous hardship and was totally uncalled for.

Ford should have to pay to the hardworking consumers of our great country for such irresponsible actions on their part. We were told that since our truck was more than 4 years old, they were not responsible. That truck had never given us a single minutes trouble at all, and still had many years left before it would have needed major repairs. A motor or transmission would have been minor things compared to the 5 year note that we acquired. If the companies in our country would be held more responsible to the consumers, we would not have to stay in debt nearly as bad, and the economy might would see daylight.

Nathaniel of Petal, MS February 22, 2009

Nathaniel of Petal MS (02/22/09)
my 2001 ford f 150 truck caught on fire while parked and was completely distroyed along with all my tools and business and personal belongings

Tina of Addison, IL February 9, 2009

Tina of Addison IL (02/09/09)
while my mothers ford escape was parked in the garage the neighbor came over screaming call 911 your garage is on fire. well in burnt the the garage that's only 1 year old. burnt the 2001 which is now totaled. the insurance company told her that they won't cover it because it only had liabilty on it. house insurance covered the garage. now she doesn't have a vehicle. lemon law lawyer said there is no case. i don't have any idea what else to do

she's a senior citizen and now doesn't have a vehicle to take herself and my elderly grandmother to all their appointments. or just the freedom that they wait to get when you have raised your family and it's finally your turn in life to do what you please. i really believe that this is ford's fault. so i need to know what else is left for me to do for her. please help me. thank you

Sandra of Highland, UT February 5, 2009

Sandra of Highland UT (02/05/09)
Our Ford Van E-250 (1994) burst into flames today. It was parked next to our motorhome. My husband was working out of town and staying in the motorhome. The van had been parked early in the evening approx. 4 feet from the RV. He was awakened by a passer-by at 5am and found the front end in flames. He was able to move the RV and watch the van and its contents go up in flames. The fire dept arrived and was unable to save anything.

No one was hurt except for the vehicle was completely destroyed with inventory and contents in the thousands. My husband will lose what time he spends renting another vehicle and replacing his inventory. The RV was scorched and smoke damage. The fire department did a quick conclusion of unknown origin. Ford has been no help so far, although it has been only a few hours. It sure sounds like the cruise control recall issue. Consumers should be warned.

Sang of San Diego, CA January 28, 2009

Sang of San Diego CA (01/28/09)
1999 For Expedition was serviced and parked inside our repair shop over the weekend on November 10, 2007. Sunday night, my 3,000 sq repair shop was completely burnt. Both fire investigator suspected the Ford ignited the fire. They found cruise controll switch only and sent out for test as Ford ask, and could not prove the switch was faulty. So our damage was not recovered as we expected. We are sufffering the resulting loss of our business and equipments.

Our business was servicing neighbor for the last 10 years since I owned, the business was doing over 1 million volume. We lost all the income and property. I am looking for some one may step in to get recovery from Ford.

Michele of Reston, VA January 28, 2009

Michele of Reston VA (01/28/09)
The 2008 Ford Escape my grandparents owned, caught fire in the garage of their home. The car had not been driven for two days. My grandfather smelled smoke, then saw smoke coming into the kitchen, from the garage. When he opened the garage door, he saw a heavy black smoke and flames coming through the grill of the car and shooting out from underneath the car. He went back into the living room and grabbed my grandmother (who just finished chemotherapy for lymphoma) they ran out the front door and just made it to the street when the explosion occurred.

They stood in 25 degree weather in their pajamas and watched their house burn to the ground. They were lucky to escape with their lives, as they had been out of the house less than three minutes when the car exploded and blew up the garage. If the fire in the car had started an hour or so earlier, they would have been sleeping and surely would have perished in the fire.

My grandmother turned 88 years old the day after the fire and my grandfather is 90. They will be married 70 years in August. They lost everything.

David of Columbus, MS January 26, 2009

David of Columbus MS (01/26/09)
Bought a used F250 April 08 from individual. In Nov 08 truck caught on fire about 5 minutes after I turned it off. Totaled by insurance but still owe several thousand dollars to bank! Then got recall notice in January 09! Too late. Ford needs to pay off the balance I owe on the Ford F250 that is gone!

I am still maing monthly payments on a totaled truck due to fire risk that I did not know about til this month!

Catherine of San Francisco, CA January 24, 2009

Catherine of San Francisco CA (01/24/09)
At 2:30 AM this morning, I awoke to a fire alarm in my fiance's townhouse. The house was consumed with smoke coming from the garage. I called 911 and we learned from the fire department that my 2002 Ford Escape caught fire in the garage. It had been sitting parked in the garage for hours. I am very thankful that the sprinkler system in the garage saved our house, the units next to us as well as our lives.

Water damage to the garage walls and another car. Garage door needs to be replaced and the home's carpets need to be serviced/replaced.

Anthony of Dos Palos, CA January 13, 2009

Anthony of Dos Palos CA (01/13/09)
My 1996 F150 4x4 Eddie Bauer pkg. erupted in flames. I parked the truck in our driveway at 330pm. At about 300am a neighbor woke us up and said our truck was on fire. Thank GOD we have cement board siding! or our house would've gone up too. My truck was in great condition, and had only 72000 miles on it. I won't get but 6-7k from insurance for it and it was paid off. This sucks. I don't have the money to buy another vehicle either.

Cheyenne of Knoxville, MD January 12, 2009

Cheyenne of Knoxville MD (01/12/09)
On January 10,2009 My fiance and I was at home getting ready for bed he was getting ready to get in the shower about 10:30p.m. and I had just put our 15 month old son to bed around 10:00 p.m. When my 4yr old boxer started acting weird he was barking and running back and forth from our front door to our bedroom window so my fiance looked out our bedroom window and seen our 2006 ford expedition on fire he yelled for me and then he went outside to get the vehicle away from our house it was sitting about 3 to 5ft beside our front of our house. He was able to get it away from our house

I vehicle is a complete loss. It it wasnt for our dog the house would have burnt down and my 15 month old son would have been hurt. i had problems with vehicle since about 6 months after I bought it. i was even at ford for smoke coming from under the hood and the smell of burning plastic they just blew it off. They acted like I was just a crazy lady. I think ford need to take responsible for this. Theres so much that could have happen because of this vehicle

My fiance hand was burnt ut not bad. He hurt his shoulder and hit his head while trying to save our house

James of Floral City, FL January 5, 2009

James of Floral City FL (01/05/09)
I bought a new ford from the dealership in 2005 it was a 2005 ford f150 and in 2007 my $40,000 truck burned in my front yard the fire dept says it was due to the cruise control.Needlss to say I lost my truck that day and nearly lost my house and we never received not one recall notice.Thank god my wife and three kids were not in the truck!!!

Brian of Chicago, IL December 25, 2008

Brian of Chicago IL (12/25/08)
My 1998 Ford Windstar Van had electrical fire (wiring harness)which totaled the van according to the fords investigator. I recently put in aprox. 3500.00 in repairs ect.New front end - New muffler sys. New tires.

Burned wiring harness and solenoids - wires ect

Shari of Thibodaux, LA December 23, 2008

Shari of Thibodaux LA (12/23/08)
After seeing the website with people telling about their Ford automobiles that caught on fire, I thought you may be interested in hearing my story. On july 6, 2005 at 2:00 A.M. My daughter Megan (13 years old at the time) and I were on a little trip in Mississippi, while my husband Dean and son Taylor (16) at the time were home and sleeping. My husband was awakened by my neighbors son who had been banging on the window for a few minutes, trying to get my husband to wake up. My husband woke up, to find the neigbor at the window, telling him to get out of the house. He busted in my son's room and got him out and as they both ran out of the back door, the house went up in flames. My Grand Marquise which is a Ford product, caught on fire under our carport at 2:00 A.M. My neighbor heard a horn blowing and thought is was the buglar alarm on the car and when he looked out, there were flames coming from the front of the car.

We lost our car that night, but we also lost our home and everything in it. Our home burned down to the ground and nothing, I mean nothing could be saved.

Ford admitted that it was a faulty cruise control and said that they were taking full liability. We have NEVER recovered anything from Ford still today, December 23, 2008. They have never replace our vehicle, we had to build a new home, they have never paid us anything for that, not the mention that every year on July 6, at 2:00 a.m. my husband and son both wake up screaming, The house is on Fire get out they are both sound asleep and for the last three years at the exact time of the fire, they automatically wake up.

My daughter who has just made 17 years old, has to take sleeping pills every night to help her sleep, because she dreams that her daddy and her brother are dying in a fire. Will Ford get away with this. I hope not. If there is any help or information that you can give me, I would really appreciate it. Thank you.

We lost our car, our home, everything that we owned, nothing could be saved. The fire was so intense that the pipes under our cement slab burst. We lost everything.

John of Modesto, CA December 19, 2008

John of Modesto CA (12/19/08)
A 2001 for navigator master cylinder caught on fire in the garage of a employee of mine.where my truck was parked in front of the garage.the house caught on fire my truck also was involved.all was a total loss.my employee band his family barely made it out of the fire.my truck and all my tools were destroyed in total about 22000 in damages on my truck alone.the loss of tools and truck my lively hood 20.000 in lost work and time.infinity offered me 300 dollars.the home owners insurance company said my truck isnt covered.

Michael of Dallas, TX November 14, 2008

Michael of Dallas TX (11/14/08)
I was travelling home from Houston, Tx. when my 1998 expedition erupted into flames. when I pulled off the expressway, the locking mechanism shut-down and it took me about three to four minutes to free myself. in the process, I severely damaged my shoulder and knee.I'm due to have surgery on my shoulder in a few weeks. It was a very scary situation. I really feared for my life. the vehicle completely burned up. I've been told that my right arm will never be 100% again. I've taken my vehicle in for a recall once, but evidently that did not remedy the problem.

Alicia of Avenue, MD November 3, 2008

Alicia of Avenue MD (11/03/08)
I have a 2007 Ford F-150, purchased new in April of 2007. On July 3, 2008, the vechicle was driven to work by my daughter and parked at 6:00 am. At 1:10 p.m. when she went to leave work, she unlocked and opened the door and there were flames coming from the passenger side vent of the dash. Fire department was called and fired was extinguished.

The dash from the radio are over topassnger side is pretty much gone. The front seat, ceiling and middel floor area are completely damaged. The windshield cracked due to heat. A portion of the ouside of the vehicle over the windshield is charred.

Pam of Celebration, FL November 1, 2008

Pam of Celebration FL (11/01/08)
2000 excursion burst into flames. Ford did NOTHING to fix situation, Said if ins was involved they didn;t want to hear about it. I have owned mANY Fords before. NEVER AGAIN! I Bought a Chevy Silverado today, I would have considered another Ford had they gave an ounce of sympathy as the cruise control was their fault nOT mine. I paid $42,000 for my excursion and loved it until I realized that Ford really does mean Found on the Road dead,They hould be accountable!

Total Loss!

Alan of Senoia, GA October 20, 2008

Alan of Senoia GA (10/20/08)
while i was at work at about 1 in the afternoon i received a call from my wife that our truck (a 1997 ford f-150) had caught fire (while parked in oure driveway for 3 days) because of the speed control. i had recived a recal from ford about it but didnt realy think much about it because i used the truck for work purposes only and had only used the speed control a couple of times. about 2 or 3 weeks later i received another recal form that said youre vehicle will catch fire.

the fire killed the whole garden next to it, and melted part of my sons dirtbike. it warped, melted, and burned everything from the front bumper to the back of the cab. we also noticed that it almost caught the house on fire.

Heather of Dover, FL October 15, 2008

Heather of Dover FL (10/15/08)
On 10/11/08 I was headed to a catering event for 1000 people and my 2001 Ford F350 caught fire under the left side of the engine compartment. We went through 3 fire extinguishers and it was still burning. The fire was so hard to get to that when the fire truck arrived they took a circular saw threw the hood to put the fire out. Thank goodness I was able to recover just about everything and no one was hurt.

I no longer have a truck to pull my trailer. I am waiting on the insurance company to tell me the good or bad news.

Kim of Ridgecrest, CA October 14, 2008

Kim of Ridgecrest CA (10/14/08)
I bought a Ford F-150 pick up from a private party in my town about a yr ago.. and he never told me about any recall nor did i even hear of it.

Oct 7 2008 I parked my truck at work at 3:40 pm and by 4:20 pm a code red came across intercom sayin code red in parkin lot and when we went out to see there sat my truck in flames all in the engine

Steve of Lakeway, TX October 7, 2008

Steve of Lakeway TX (10/07/08)
2003 Eddie Bauer Ford Expedition Up in Flames On the morning of June 23, 2008, we were woken up at 5am by the sound of the horn going off on the 2003 Expedition. It had been parked since 7pm the night before in the driveway. Upon looking outside, the car was engulfed in flames. It burned the garage up, caught fire to a new Toyota Avalon parked next to it, and melted the side view mirror off an Audi parked about 15ft away the heat was so intense.

Today we just got the cause of fire from the investigators at the fire department - CRUISE CONTROL SWITCH! And Ford says the recall didn't affect 2003 Expeditions. The fire department found out the car was manufactured at the end of 2002 and sold as a 2003! 2003's Need to be included in the recall for this reason! This fire could have killed us or burned the entire house down before the fire department got there.

Consequences: Loss of work from smoke inhalation, dealing with insurance for the house & car, having the garage rebuilt, friend's car was not covered by the insurance on the Ford nor home owner's insurance, 4 months for everything to be repaired/rebuilt, rental car hassle -and rental was only covered for a short period of time and it took longer to receive a check for the replacement.

Will never own a Ford again. We are working with an attorney on a class action lawsuit.

Carol of Sumterville, FL October 6, 2008

Carol of Sumterville FL (10/06/08)
2001 Lincoln Navigator caught on fire. 10/01/2008 at 10:15 p.m. my vehicle was parked in the driveway having been driven last at 11:00 a.m. that morning. We tried to extinguish the fire with 3 fire extinguishers, but only managed to keep the flames low enough to move the other vehicles from the area. By 11:00 p.m. the fire department had extinguished the fire. The Fire Marshall investigated the car for arson, but ruled the fire as a faulty cruise control switch.

At this time we have lost our only vehicle. We have 2 school aged children and my husband has numerous health issues that need constant trips to the doctor's office. The insurance company said that at least 30 days will pas before we recieve a settlement from them. We purchased this vehicle in late July 2007. We were never told about a faulty switch nor did we recieve a recall notice.

Eric of Tucson, AZ October 4, 2008

Eric of Tucson AZ (10/04/08)
Until my 1995 Ford Ranger caught fire while I was driving, I was unaware of the Ford fire epidemic. My girlfriend and I were heading out shopping making one stop for soda when we noticed the smell of burning plastic. I assumed there was a house fire until my gas pedal went limp and dropped to the floor. At that point I had no choice but to coast off the road where upon my girl pointed out the flames under the hood.

By some stroke of luck a tow-truck-driver saw us immediately and pulled over with an extinguisher to save the day (not the truck). The only good I can see is that no one died or even got hurt and that it happened less than a mile from my house.

the truck was my only mode of transport for my two roomates, my girl and myself. My job requires mobility that public transport can't provide

Brian of Framingham, MA September 27, 2008

Brian of Framingham MA (09/27/08)
On 9/27/08 my Ford Focus caught on fire. My friend was driving the car & she said there was smoke coming from under the hood. Lucky she was 2 minutes away from the house, she ran downstairs to get me & by the time I saw the car, it was engulfed in flames!

Ford should take full responsible of this as there are plenty of other people whose car's have caught on fire.
Engine caught on fire, total loss

April of Portland, OR September 13, 2008

April of Portland OR (09/13/08)
This September 5th 2008, while my husband and I were at work, our Bronco that we had just purchased in late March burst into flames and caught our garage on fire. 2 days after the fire we learned that there was a recall for the cruise control deactivator switch and that our specific vehicle had not been repaired and that the dealership was issued a recall notice 2 mo prior to our purchase of the vehicle. They never mentioned anything about a recall or a fire hazard.

Our two beloved dogs, Rocky and Junior were caught in the fire and killed. We also lost 1 motorcycle, 1 dirtbike, and countless other activity gear and family mementos. The garage thankfully was detached from the house so the house was barely touched. But the garage is completely demolished and we need to rebuild it.

Suellen of Lyons, KS September 6, 2008

Suellen of Lyons KS (09/06/08)
I brought 1999 Expedition After getting tags it burn up in 12 hours. I am a single mother of 5 kids but now Ford won't return my phone calls after getting all pictures and reports from police, I don't know what to do, now my car is getting reposess Due to this vechile I have to pay for cause by Mel H. fault because when the last owner took Expediation in they never disconnect cruise control.

Depression, loss to house, Avon products plus having to dream of what happen.

Chris of Grand Rivers, KY August 30, 2008

Chris of Grand Rivers KY (08/30/08)
I have a 1997 ford f 150 that was parked in my driveway while i was away from home the truck caught on fire and if it had not been for my dog waking my two daughters my house would have burnt with them sleeping in it.

The truck is a total loss and it scorched the front porch on my house

Ebony of Indianapolis, IN August 22, 2008

Ebony of Indianapolis IN (08/22/08)
well for starters my whole truck (expedition 20000) burned down to the ground and took six other cars with not as bad as mine, only thing that is left from my truck is he shell and the back tires and my license plate

my truck is gone for one, and i also burned up six other cars and damaged a parking garage

Teresa of Poughkeepsie, NY August 18, 2008

Teresa of Poughkeepsie NY (08/18/08)
MY 1998 FORD EXPLOXER CAUGHT ON FIRE AT 1:00 AM WHILE I WAS SLEEPING. If the fire dept didn't get there when they did my whole truck would've exploded and my apartment, where the truck was parked in front of my bedroom window.

Truck is damaged.

Thomasina of Beaumont, TX July 29, 2008

Thomasina of Beaumont TX (07/29/08)
I had a 1998 2Dr Ford Explorer that i was paying $275.92 a month for to Carmax. On June 17, 2008 I came to work like normal. My truck drove good to work and i hadn't had any problems out of it lately. I got to work at 8:26 a.m. Next thing i know the building manager came to my office and asked me my name and told me the fire department was looking for me because my truck had caught on fire. i was in shock for hours. I couldn't believe it. i had heard that ford vehicles could do that but I still didn't believe it.

When I got outside the front end of my truck was out of there. The inside was heavly smoked damaged and the truck ended up being a total loss. I immediately called my insurance company (Farmers) and all they did was pay what I still owed to carmax which was $3,859 and gave me a $57 check. Apparently Farmers goes by the private kelly blue book price not the retail value of the vehicle.

then i thought carmax would have given me some sort of incentive for paying my truck off early but nope. The sed i was actually getting a deal because if i had waited to finish paying it off I would have been paying way more than the $3859. *whatever*! Now I am stuck without a vehicle and no money for a down payment on a vehicle. My insurance company has yet to tell me the cause of the fire but if they find out it was due to ford's recall then they are going to go after ford themselves and see about getting their money back. Farmers told me I couldn't go after ford myself because nobody or nothing was hurt.

What about my vehicle? That was something that was hurt. I am so frustrated. i went ahead and got in contact with ford via e-mail a couple of days ago and they asked me for certain information. Now I have yet to hear back from them. i don't know what to do.

No vehicle and no money for a down payment on another vehicle. My car was a total loss.

Paul of Bronx, NY July 29, 2008

Paul of Bronx NY (07/29/08)
2000 Ford triton 5.4 w/ 90,000 miles....Never abused and lots of care! The complete valve train on drivers side went up in smoke! The plug ejected and left me stranded! This is my second Ford w/ internal engine failure! Never Again Ford. What good is a nice comfortable Ford ride when the engine blows up!

Michael of Warner Robins, GA April 2, 2008

Michael of Warner Robins GA (04/02/08)
After driving my 2000 Ford f-150 for approx. 25 miles, I parked behind my carport. About 4 hours, the truck caught fire under the hood and since noone was home at the time, the vehicle was completely destroyed. The fire investigator said that the fire had clearly started on the drivers side in the area of the Master Cylinder. The Truck is a total loss ,but fortunately , there was little other property damage due to the excellent response by our fire fighters

Jesse of Hitchcock, TX April 1, 2008

Jesse of Hitchcock TX (04/01/08)
I was coming back from the grocery store and I stopped to grab my trash cans when I smelled something burning under the hood of my 2000 F150. I pulled up next to my house and shut the truck off. All of the sudden flames started coming out from underneath the hood against the windshield before I could even shut the door. I ran in my house to get my fire extinguisher and used it up on the flames to no avail. I then ran around the corner of my house to get my waterhose and then heard a loud boom and looked over to see flames bursting out of my truck 20 feet high(all this happened within minutes). I then immediately called 911, and they sent out the fire department and a cop. It took them about 5 minutes to get there and put out the flames, which were still roaring at 15-20 feet tall. Most of my engine,cab and front end were burnt up. The truck is completly totaled. This all happened at about 9:45pm on March 12,2008. I've had all recalls fixed by a Ford certified dealer. I had the truck for almost two and a half years and it always ran fine and had no problems. I am guessing it had something to do with the recalled part, since my story is similar to other peoples who had the problem. I only had liability insurance on it because I could not afford full coverage, therefore I am not being compensated for my truck. My homeowners insurance does not cover it either. Also ruint in the truck was several hundred dollars in personal items. If there is any way I can get some compensation from Ford I would like to try.

Justin of Glendale, AZ March 14, 2008

Justin of Glendale AZ (03/14/08)
In August of 2007, my insurance had lapsed on my 2001 Ford F-150 SuperCrew. I decided to park the truck while I could straighten out my finances. The truck had been parked for approximently five days and on the fifth day, the truck burst into flames. Luckily, my mother was home, and heard the explosion coming from outside. When she ran outside, she saw the flames coming from under the hood of the truck. Thankfully, she pulled out the hose and called 911 and had the fire put out before it burned the house and the truck.

Kert of Carencro, LA March 13, 2008

Kert of Carencro LA (03/13/08)
My ford f-150 2002 burnt to the ground after being park in my front yard.

Ted of Milton, FL February 2, 2008

Ted of Milton FL (02/02/08)
Instant loss of power assist to brake system on 2005 F150 Ford PU with 5.4L engine. Drove truck home afternoon of 1/1/08 ariving at 3:45 pm. Had no problem with the brakes in route. I went back out to crank up truck to leave an hour later. When I started the engine, white smoke emerged from under the hood. I quickly turned off the engine and checked under the hood for a fire but found nothing burning. After smoke cleared I restarted the engine. No more smoke was visible so I moved the truck forward a few feet and noticed I had to stand on the brake pedal to get it to stop. I turned off the engine and let it sit for a few minutes and restarted the engine and again moved the truck a few feet but still had no brakes to speak of. It appears the brake power booster has quit working properly.

Geoff of Westminster, CA January 24, 2008

Geoff of Westminster CA (01/24/08)
January 22, 2008. 2001 Ford Expedition XLT caught on fire and destroyed in our driveway. After driving the vehicle for approximately 20 minutes it was parked in the driveway. Approximately 1 hr later (3:30pm) the engine compartment was on fire and became engulfed within minutes. Fortunately the vehicle was not in the garage. A neighbors daughter saw the fire and her dad and a friend came to our house and helped put out tht fire with a garden hose before it could catch fire to the front of our house. We were home when this happened, but did not know about the fire until the neighbor came to grab the hose in the front yard. The fire department indicated that the origin of the fire was on the drivers side of the vehicle near and around master cylinder. I have many pictures of the damage if needed.

Insurance company has not yet completed the investigation, however there is no doubt this vehicle is a complete loss.

Lisa of Keizer, OR January 15, 2008

Lisa of Keizer OR (01/15/08)
On Friday, Jan 11, 2008 my husband came home from work at 5:30 and parked his 2001 F-150 Supercrew in the driveway. He and my 3 year old son were at home. My husband was getting ready to get in the shower when he heard someone banging on the front door - by the time he got to the peep hole no one was there so he went back to the bathroom to resume his shower, he then heard another knock at the door and again went to see who was at the door, again...no one. Our 6 yr old lab was acting crazy, running up and down the hall barking like crazy. She is what alerted my husband to investigate further. He went into the bedroom of our 11 year old daughter and looked out front to the driveway and saw that his truck was fully engulfed in flames. It had been parked for about 45 minutes when the fire broke out. Our garage door and siding on the front of our house was pretty damaged but thank god not destroyed. The truck on the other hand is a total loss. My husbands truck is also part of the Ford recall. When we got the letter regarding the recall we called Ford and they said that they didn't have the part that was required to fix it but that since our cruise control wasn't working (It had stopped working about 2 mths before the fire) it must already be disconnected and we should be fine. Fires are rare so I wouldn't worry is what we were told. From the sounds of all these stories they are not as rare as they would like the consumer to believe. I am just thankful that my husband and my son are safe.

Andy of Sylvania, GA January 8, 2008

Andy of Sylvania GA (01/08/08)
In 2005 our 2001 ford f-150 caught on fire and our house all was destroyed. We lost everything in the house. That's when we had heard about the cruise control causing fires. Now 3 years later Jan 2008 our other 2001 ford f-150 engine caught on fire and melting the siding off our house before the house was burnt down again.

Rob of Tallahassee, FL December 31, 2007

Rob of Tallahassee FL (12/31/07)
2004 Ford F-150 FX-4 truck burns up while driving. This just happened this weekend. Fire got so hot, it melted the windshield, burned through the firewall into the cab. Total loss. I had my daughter in the back seat, and had a difficult time getting her out, due to the fact that the electrical stuff on the truck would not function....namely the door locks. I had to break out a window to get her out!!!!

Ann of Pompano Beach, FL December 2, 2007

Ann of Pompano Beach FL (12/02/07)
Used my daughters 1998 Ford Explorer. Came home from food shopping and one hour later, car was in flames in carport of my modular home. Car was totally destroyed along with the siding of my new Modular Home. Thank God no one was hurt.

Car was totalled. Modular Home siding melted along with porch buckling and carport fried.

Frank of Universal City, TX September 13, 2007

Frank of Universal City TX (09/13/07)
On August 28, 2007 my 2001 Ford F-150 SuperCrew pick-up truck started on fire after having sat in my driveway for five hours. The fire, though attended to quickly by our fire department, consumed the engine, engine compartment, firewall, front-end, etc. The truck was in my driveway and the fire also affected my home.

The Ford 2001 F-150 SuperCrew was a complete loss. There is approximately $5,000 damages to our house. My wife and I missed work time dealing with the clean-up and dealing with contractors. The fire will have to be disclosed to prospective buyers of our home and will lessen the future value of our home.

Julie of Willits, CA September 11, 2007

Julie of Willits CA (09/11/07)
My brother in law's 2007 Ford F150 caught fire in his drive-way and burnt to the ground. He just brought his brand new baby girl home 3 hours before. We were all sleeping in the house, when my sister woke to some sort of lights outside, as she went to the window she saw the Ford engulfed in 100 foot flames. My husband ran outside got the water hose to put the fire out. By the time the fire department got there, the truck was a pile of ash. If my sister would have never woke up, we could not even be here today because the truck would have caught the house on fire. They were never sent a recall in the mail or when they purchased the truck 6 months ago, nothing was ever talked about regarding this recall. Now they are out of a vehicle. My sister got the whole thing on video tape, we have already contacted a lawyer and are pursuing our case. I can't even imagine how a huge car company can sell death traps like this and get away with it.

Paul of Phoenix, AZ September 4, 2007

Paul of Phoenix AZ (09/04/07)
spark plug blew out of cylinder head. no assistance through or extended warranty ford sold me.

Joshua of Princeton, WV September 4, 2007

Joshua of Princeton WV (09/04/07)
My F150 burnt to the ground early thrusday morning and it is beleive a recall is the problem.  I no longer have a vechile to drive and i am awaiting my insurance company to settle.

John of Charleston, SC September 3, 2007

John of Charleston SC (09/03/07)
On Aug 31, 2007 My 1995 Ford F150 caught on fire and completely burnt out the engine compartment & cab interior. The truck was parked at the back of the house and hadn't been run for 10 hours.

Michael of Cda, ID August 30, 2007

Michael of Cda ID (08/30/07)
driving down freeway smoke filled the cab pulled over call 911 then it caught on fire total the truck fire was caused by cruise control it was a 91 ford f150

Briana of Canton, GA August 30, 2007

Briana of Canton GA (08/30/07)
My 2001 Ford F-150,caught on fire while it was parked. I called Ford and they said I would be receiving a letter from consumraffairs in a couple of days. But they would not give me any other information. I need them to tell me what they are going to do concerning my truck.

Lyle of Moreno Valley, CA August 20, 2007

Lyle of Moreno Valley CA (08/20/07)
I own a 2000 Ford F150. It was parked in my driveway and suddenly caught fire in the engine compartment. The entire front of the vehicle was blazing by the time I got to it with a water hose. With the help of neighbors we were able to put the fire out before it got to my house. I have a friend that is a tech for Ford. After inspection he informed me that the cause was from having the bad speed control switch. It's ironic because I had just received a recall notice from Ford a week prior and had not opened it yet. The truck was almost paid off. Now I have a almost paid for pile of ash parked in my driveway. At least I was not driving it at the time.

Thomas of Lantana, FL July 10, 2007

Thomas of Lantana FL (07/10/07)
my 2005 ford 150 pick up truck was parked in the driveway on 12/21/06 when the engine caught fire. the truck was off and the engine had not been running for approx. 1 hour before it caught fire.

The truck was a total loss. Fire marshall stated the fire originated in the engine compartment. Geico ins. company paid off the remaining balance on the truck and the settlement was far below the KBB and also the NADA value. I was without a vehicle and could not work for two weeks.

Also, the property where the truck was parked was damaged as well and the home owner's insurance company is seeking damages from me. As Geico ins. did not pay the property damage. Photos of the Truck available as well as Fire marshall report available.

Larry of Mcloud, OK July 10, 2007

Larry of Mcloud OK (07/10/07)
1997 Ford F150 Truck was sitting in the parking lot at work and caught fire. It had not been started for several hours. There was know current problem with the truck and it was runing ok. According to Ford recall web site there where no outstanding recalls. The VIN # is 1FTDX1762VKA40217.

Candace of Lompoc, CA July 5, 2007

Candace of Lompoc CA (07/05/07)
On July 4th, 2007 we took our family to the beach to enjoy the holiday. We parked our 2000 Ford F-150 truck and withing 30 minutes it was completely engulfed in flames. We have had this truck since day one and have never had any problems or been notified of any recalls affecting our make and model. We have always kept up with regular maintenence and the truck was in great running condition. After the fire we became immediately aware of the factory recalls that went out on this vehicle by all of the shared stories of bystanders and their similar experiences or those of loved ones. Ford Motor company does not accept any responsibility for these fires and the costs to replace the vehicles.

Out truck was totalled and now we are left without a vehicle. We worked hard to keep this vehicle in good shape and we payed it off last year prior to my husband retiring from the Air Force. Because it is not a daily driver we recently reduced our insurance from full coverage to liability and now we are completly out of luck and out of a vehicle. Our family had camping reservations made a year ago that we needed the truck for and now we will have to cancel that as well of course nonrefundable. We purchased new tires for the truck 11 months ago for 1000.00 and that is lost as well.

Thomas of Barrington, RI June 27, 2007

Thomas of Barrington RI (06/27/07)
While driving my 2006 F150 Lariat home with my son on the highway (6/26/07), smelled smoke/burning smell. Another motorist driving past us told us there were flames coming out of the front. We pulled over and when my son opened the pasengers side door there were flames coming up from under the truck, he shut the door and got out the drivers side. In minutes the entire truck was engulfed in flames. A total loss. Highway was shut down. Lost everything, including all the tools in the back for work. Dealership is unresponsive. Never had any work done to the vehicle in past. Always current with oil changes and upkeep.

Joseph of Pittsburgh, PA June 12, 2007

Joseph of Pittsburgh PA (06/12/07)
Bought a 2004 Ford F150 4X4 XLT. Had it for 3 years with no problems had done all scheduled and unscheduled maintenance. On 12 June 2007 at 3:20am the engine caught fire and destroyed the truck. I drove the truck at 5:00 the previous day for 1 hour and parked it at 6:00pm that night. The truck was running fine with no problems or anything it just caught fire as it sat on the street. The truck is a total loss. I will be contacting Ford in the morning conserning this issue.

Donna of Plano, TX May 25, 2007

Donna of Plano TX (05/25/07)
I own a 2001 Ford F150 that caught on fire due to a faulty starter and now the insureance won't cover it and ford won't take responsibility. What are my options?

$4,600.00 worth of damage to the body and engine from the fire.

Ricci of Port Neches, TX May 16, 2007

Ricci  of Port Neches TX (05/16/07)
My son's 2002 Ford F-150 caught fire & burnt up in my driveway on May 5th,2007. The fire dept. was called to put out the fire & said it looks as though the fire started around the master cylinder. The fire dept. investigator states the origin of the fire to be similar as the fireman.

Since the fire, I've been told about a recall on this vehicle due to fires linked to the cruise control switch mounted on the master cylinder. I purchased this vehicle from a used car lot 6 months ago & was NEVER told about this recall by Ford or the seller.

I found out after the fire.It totalled the truck, did extensive damage to my driveway (driveway was stained, scored,&sealed about a year ago for thousands of dollars),plus lost many added features in truck(Stereo,amp,speakers,alarm system,new tires,shocks,ect). The conversation I've had with Ford (Steve),seems to be stringing me along,downplaying their responsibility,if any, & it's very frustrating.

After sending them many pictures taken immediately after the fire(they look identical to previous fires started the same way), a picture of leaking brake fluid on my driveway just prior to fire,the same 5A fuse blowing a number of times(causing inability to shift gearshift),they will send out their invetigator to look at vehicle. I should be contacted by him within a week.

When I first reported this to Ford, I was told to file it with my car insurance(I have liability only), then told to file under home owners insurance($3200 deductible). I said it was your responsibility,not theirs.

Gabriel of Moore, SC May 14, 2007

Gabriel of Moore SC (05/14/07)
I just wanted to add my experience with the Ford F-Series fires. On 5/11/07, I parked my 2001 F250 around 11:30 p.m. No prior troubles with this vehicle, and had just turned 105K miles. I brought my dogs inside for the night at almost exactly 1:00 a.m., which requires me to stand outside within six feet of my truck for a few minutes. No smell of any kind of smoke at that time was present that would have indicated a smoldering fire (I have worked as firefighter for twenty years and would have recognized even the faintest odor).

Around 1:30 a.m., a loud boom awakened me from my sleep. I ran outside to find my truck showing flame from the driver's side of the engine compartment. I know the first explosion I heard was NOT the driver's side tire exploding from the fire because I was outside on the phone with 911 when the tire blew. Within the six minutes before the arrival of the fire department, the entire engine compartment and most of the cab was engulfed. I am extremely thankful that my house, only six feet away, did not become involved, and it was only by divine intervention that I wasn't parked inside the carport that night.

S of Myakka City, FL May 10, 2007

S of Myakka City FL (05/10/07)
On 5-7-07, my son drove his 1997 Ford F150 home from school and parked it in his spot in the garage. Within 20 minutes, we heard his horn going off steadily. I went to the garage to verify the noise and the truck was engulfed in flames! I screamed for my husband who grabbed a fire extinguisher. My son grabbed his key. My husband was able to put the truck into neutral (while it was on fire and he was still spraying it down) and we rolled it out of the garage by pushing on the back seat of the vehicle. My husband was able to put out the flames before the fire dept. arrived. My son's beautiful truck is ruined. The garage was covered in soot although there was no other damage to our home. My husband contacted Ford and they say they stopped paying on these types of situations and we should go through our insurance company. Because of the age of the truck and the mileage (80,000), with our deductible, we'll end up with very little money and not be able to replace this vehicle. My son is heartbroken. Ford should be ashamed. I'm still shaking from the incident days later. It was just horrifying to see the black smoke in the garage and the flames shooting from the vehicle.

Michael of Walnut Creek, CA May 8, 2007

Michael of Walnut Creek CA (05/08/07)
Another horror story about Ford Expedition's Mine WAS a 1999,XLT, about 120,000 miles on it. Never a problem until last Sunday, May 6-2007. After my wife went on a quick shopping trip to the local supermarket, she parked the vehicle in front of our house. Within about 10 minutes, we hear a loud pop. I looked out the front window and a thick cloud of smoke was coming out from under the hood.

I grabbed a fire extingusher and rushed out to the vehicle. I could not open the hood or get too close to the vehicle due to the flames and smoke that was pouring out. I emptied the fire extinguisher from under the front of the vehicle, but the flames did not go out. I ran to the garage for a second extinguisher and did the same with the same results.

My wife called 911 and by the time the fire department arrived about 10 minutes later, the vehicle was completely engulfed and our house was singed by the flames and heat.

Luckily, no one was injured and the fire was put out in time with minimal damage to our house. The vehicle is totally destroyed.. Shame on the Ford motor company for producing a product that has this type of life threating defect.

Bruce of Melbourne, FL May 2, 2007

Bruce of Melbourne FL (05/02/07)
On June 30,1999, my 1995 Ford F150 caught on fire at 11:15pm.after being parked in our driveway for at least 7 hours. Our son heard the loud explosion and came running into our bedroom to tell us that there was a fire in our driveway and he had heard a loud explosion.

When my wife and I ran out side, we saw our truck and front of our home totally engulfed in flames. We called 9-1-1. Fire rescue came out and put the fire out and started an investigation.

The report from the fire inspector stated that it was an electrical fire. Not only did this cost us $2000.00 in deductables,but we only got $9000.00 for a truck that was worth $12,000.00 and then we were charged for it.

The insurance company would not allow us to change insurance companys because of the claim and also increased our rates in order to pay back the money that they did give us!

Not only was the driveway and the front of the house damaged but so was the carpet in the house and the walls were smoke damaged. We were treated like criminals,and even asked by the insurance agent if WE started the fire on purpose!

I was totally appauled by such accusations. We kept the truck in showroom condition. I have never gotten any kind of letter from Ford acknowledging the problem or letting us know of any recalls.

I feel as though I should be compensated for the losses that we experience and the Ford Motor Company should stand up and take responability for their faulty vehicles, afterall, they didn't have a problem taking my money when I bought the truck! Many pictures were taken of the remains and damage.

Chad of Sturgis, MS April 27, 2007

Chad of Sturgis MS (04/27/07)
I own a 2000 Ford F-150. I walked outside and my truck was on fire under the hood. I was able to get the fire out, but the Ford dealership said its going to take atleast $5,300 or more to fix just the mechanical and wiring damage. I have not got a price on the body damage. The fire was started through the cruise control switch that I later found has had a recall on it for starting such fires. I asked Ford about there responsibilities in paying for the damages. They said they are not responsible and they are not going to pay for any of it. They said they sent out 5 recall notices, and that reliefes them of any responsibilities. I never recieved any recall notices, they may have went to the previous owner. I bought the vehicle from the Ford dealership used in late 03' or early 04'.

Daniel of Alpine, CA April 24, 2007

Daniel of Alpine CA (04/24/07)
I also have a 2003 Ford Expedition. Three weeks ago it blew a spark plug at just over 80,000 miles. Fortunately, my wife was not on the freeway when it happened. We have a premium warranty service on the vehicle but they have refused to pay for the repair.

Betty of Ponce De Leon, FL April 22, 2007

Betty & Brent of Ponce De Leon FL (04/22/07)
We heard a loud pop and then a terrible noise from the engine. We had a spark plug blow out of the engine on our 2002 Ford F250 Laredo Crew cab Truck. Luckily we were close to a mechanic shop. The mechanic put another spark plug in and said that it will blow again. It will cost over $2,500.00 to fix it he says. We can't afford to pay that. So we have to take the chance it will happen again. Isn't that a safety issue? I think Ford should have to fix it.I see that alot of people are having this problem. Should'nt there be a recall?

It will cost over $2,500.00 to fix it.

Maria of Brownsville, TX April 21, 2007

Maria of Brownsville TX (04/21/07)
My 2001 f-150 4 door caught on fire feb07, i contacted ford and they have no reason why they dont want to be responsable for it, it did have a recall.my husband had just bought me the truck while serving in afghanistan then it was really hard getting a nice truck for once and then for it to catch on fire, i only had liability on it unfortunally , oh and no lawyer wants to take my case because they said something or someone had to catch on fire with the truck, so if anyone can help me i would really appreciate it

Charlie of San Angelo, TX April 17, 2007

Charlie of San Angelo TX (04/17/07)
I have a 2000 Ford Expedition that also has blown out a spark plug.Since I am a diesel mechanic I rented a tool and repaired it myself.My worry now is when will the next one blow out? Probably in the middle of nowhere on a holiday.

I don't think I can trust the vehicle to go very far from home or to send the family on a trip and not worry about them.I tried to trade it off before the spark plug blew out but it seems that everyone knew but me that it was a 5.4 Triton and two dealers offered me $1200. for a very clean Expedition that I still owe $7800 on,when they had one exactly like it on their lot for $12995.

Bottom line is I have a nice suv that I cant trade in, trust to use as intended,or sell without feeling guilty about having given a problem to someone else.

Nas of Paterson, NJ April 16, 2007

Nas of Paterson NJ (04/16/07)
I have a 2003 Ford Expedition that has 39K miles the check engine light came on and it ran rough this weekend. I took it to a mechanic and he told me that his diagnostics indicate that cylinder #4 is misfiring and it might be the plug or the coil and it cost $200 to replace because it is very hard to get at; it is in the bottom of the engine. This is the 2nd time this happened the 1st time the truck was under warrantee with only 27K miles from reading all the customers comments and experience. It seems that Ford has an issue with plugs.

Patrick of Ventura, CA April 13, 2007

Patrick of Ventura CA (04/13/07)
Blew #3 spark plug out of the head on my 1997 Ford Expedition. The dealer wants $2400 for repair, $4200 for head replacement, or $5500 for a long block engine replacement.

So far, $200 towing cost and $90 dealer evaluation cost, plus loss of vehicle for 2-weeks (so far).

James of Bloomington, MN April 12, 2007

James of Bloomington MN (04/12/07)
You recently published my complaint about Ford spark plug blowouts I now have some info. I would like you to pass on. You have had many people from Minnesota that have had this problem and they need to contact Minnesota Attorney General's Office 1400 Bremer Tower 445 Minnesota Street St. Paul, MN 55101 (651) 296-3353 (800) 657-3787 TTY:(651) 297-7206 TTY:(800) 366-4812 to file a complaint against Ford, I have done so and they said they would contact Ford on my behalf to try and resolve this issue. The more people that contact them the better case they can present. Please let people in other states know to contact thier Attorney Generals. Thank you.

Philip of Sevierville, TN April 9, 2007

Philip of Sevierville TN (04/09/07)
My cold 2000 F250 Super Duty 4dr self ignited in my driveway. Thank goodness I had a hose nearby and noticed the smoke coming out of the driverside wheelwell while walking my dog. If I hadn't my house would have gone up in flames. My local Ford dealer said right off the bat that it looked like a fire originating at the cruise control.

Philip of Sevierville, TN April 9, 2007

Philip of Sevierville TN (04/09/07)
My cold 2000 F250 Super Duty 4dr self ignited in my driveway. Thank goodness I had a hose nearby and noticed the smoke coming out of the driverside wheelwell while walking my dog. If I hadn't my house would have gone up in flames.

My local Ford dealer said right off the bat that it looked like a fire originating at the cruise control and gave me an estimate of aprox. $5,000 that they filed with Ford, and told me it looked open and shut and not to worry, they would take care of the formalities with Ford and get back with me and hopefully have my truck back to me in about three weeks. Ford asked for an inspection by a local regional, who took pictures and filed a report to their home office proved to be the begining of my happy ending.

I filed a complaint with Ford's Detroit office about the same time, who inturn spoke with the regional office, who spoke with the regional office and manager again after I filed a complaint with Detoit when it was turned down the first time. Oddly enough when I spoke with the complaint line in Detoit while filing for a review of the decision after being told I was turned down for repairs by my Ford dealer,(who was quite surprised), the lady with whom I spoke with in Detroit was very nice and quite sympathetic, and was kind enough to read back to me the initial report from the field.

I only wish I had recorded my conversation. They admitted the guilt, but questioned whether it was worth fixing. Following my review of Ford's decision not to fix my vehicle, the story changed to the argument that the cause of the fire was indeterminable due to the extensive damage. There was no mention of guilt. My advise from Ford's complaint desk was to turn it into my insurance co.

I was told by the Ford employee that I would most likely be paid for my loss, and you know that Ford and most other car makers, own atleast part of all the major insurance companies, and they would work out some sort of payback as far as Ford was concerned for my damages, but atleast I would be compensated. I told her that I didn't want to involve my insurance co. as it may increase my rates and ratings, and she agreed, but said there was nothing Ford was going to do for me or my truck.

Through all this, I just kept repeating to everyone...all I want is my truck fixed...all I want is my truck back... To this day that is all I ever wanted. The insurance co. totaled the truck and after seven months I may have a chance to to out and get a three or four thousand dollar truck to replace my dependable, beautiful F250...you know the one I bought new...the truck I paid over thirty thousand for...the one I took such good care of...the one I used everyday to earn a living...eeeek

Gerry of S Pasadena, CA April 3, 2007

Gerry  of S Pasadena CA (04/03/07)
2002 Ford E350 44,000 miles, #7 spark plug blew out of aluminum head. On 4/3/07 John @ CRC offered $1000.00 w/ 24 hour expiration toward a $2511.00 cost(warranty priced discount) from Dealer.Dealer further offered an additional 10% discount and got a Ford field Rep. to agree to an additional $250.00. So as it stands now I'm still looking at a $761.00 bill according to the Dealer.

Geoffery of Wilton Manors, FL March 28, 2007

Geoffery of Wilton Manors FL (03/28/07)
Nothing has happened yet. I just wanted to register my name because I own a Ford F150 (1999)

Stephen of Mandeville, LA March 26, 2007

Stephen of Mandeville LA (03/26/07)
my 1996 ford F150 exploded and completely burned to scrap metal after it had been parked in my driveway for over 24 hours. part of the master cylinder blew out from the truck and landed about 20 feet away. I was not home at the time-the neighbors heard the explosion and called 911. they also reported that the engine started by itself during the fire.

Mark of Mogadore, OH March 22, 2007

Mark of Mogadore OH (03/22/07)
I have been a proud FORD owner all my life. Until my '02 F150 blew a spark plug for the 2nd time costing me in exess of $4,000. I have been stranded out of town twice with $300 towing bils. I was told by Ford that since there are nor recalls on this problem, it is soley my responsibility and he has only heard of this 2 times. They refuse to stand behind the obvious Manufacturer defective design. This is a very wide spread problem between 99-04 on Tritan V8 and V10. When I talked to the service manager at the dealership I had it fixed at...the first thing he asked was Let me guess, #3 cylendar? I said yes! What does that tell you?

Tom of Allentown, NJ March 22, 2007

Tom of Allentown NJ (03/22/07)
I have been a Ford person for 35 years. Last year my F 250 with the 5.4 blew the back passenger side plug @ about 120,000 miles. It cost over 2000.00 to pull the head and have a helicoil put in. I currently have a 2006 F-150 with a 5.4. I'm alittle nervous. Ford is forceing me to look elsewhere.

John of Urbana, IA March 21, 2007

John of Urbana IA (03/21/07)
I bought a 2001 Ford F150 with 89000 miles on it in December of last year. It now has 104000 miles. This past week my wife and I were driving home from shopping when we were startled by a loud bang. The engine started missing so i pulled over to the side of the road and shut it off. I called the local ford dealer in Center Point and told them the problem, they said it is probably a blown spark plug which is what it turned out to be.

I was given two options, one was to replace the head at a cost of $3000 or to have a heli coil put in the spark plug hole at a cost of $300-$400 I chose the second. This is the first Ford I have owned after switching from driving Chevy trucks for 20 years, needles to say once I pick it up from the dealer ship after the repair I will be sending it down the road after reading all of the problems with the heads.

Keith of Brandon, MS March 21, 2007

Keith of Brandon MS (03/21/07)
Last night at 4 am I was awakened by my daughter who heard a loud noise in the driveway. When I went to the front door I saw that my wife's 2001 Ford Escape was on fire. After the Fire Department put out the fire the Fire Inspector stated the fire had started near the brake booster. After looking on this web site I see that there have been 8 other incidents happening to these vehicles, that have been reported to your agency. What recourse do I have as a consumer against Ford for not warning customers of this potential hazard. I am having to claim this against my Insurance which is going to cause my Insurance to go up?

The vehicle is a total loss and I am going to have to buy a new one to replace it. I can not replace it for the amount that they say my Escape is worth.

Furman of Townville, SC March 17, 2007

Furman of Townville SC (03/17/07)
I have just lost my Ford 2001 F-150 truck to a fire. I parked the vehicle in our drive, normally I would have parked in the garage. I was awakened about 6 hours later with explosions from the truck being on fire. I had received 2 recalls and went to local Ford dealer was told they did not have the part to replace the faulty part but that mine was not one of the ones being recalled.

This related to the cruise control. The second time I was told the same thing about no parts and they disconnected the cruise but before I left the Service manager said again that mine was not one of the ones being recalled and to plug it back up. I have contacted Ford and they say they have no responsibility

My truck is a total loss, it completely burned. In fact the fire was so hot that it melted the inside of the front rims.My recourse not is an attorney and hopefully a class action suit against Ford

Dan of Huntington Beach, CA March 12, 2007

Dan of Huntington Beach CA (03/12/07)
I have a 1997 Ford F250 LD and I also had a spark plug blow out. 3rd cyl. passenger side. Fixed it and 200 miles later blew 4th plug passenger side. Only not so lucky this time the loose plug started a fuel fire and burned my truck down to the axels in 12 minutes. 100% total. BEWARE This could kill you. It went up so fast we lost our cameras ,computer,GPS and just got out ourselfs. would love to share the pictures of my truck with the people from Ford that say there is not a problem

Truck was a total to replace it with a Chevy or Dodge will cost 6 or 7 thousand but I would walk before driving a Ford with alum. heads.

Eric of Idaho Falls, ID March 10, 2007

Eric of Idaho Falls ID (03/10/07)
My 1997 Ford Expedition 5.4 L with aluminum heads spit out a spark plug. They said $800 to fix it. I went to Smith Ford in Rexburg, ID and they fixed it for $292. The next month, it spit out a second plug, another $392. I am looking for a Toyota now. American auto manufacturers need to stand by their product when it is a design flaw. I see from the internet that it is a common problem, and the dealers admit it is seen frequently.

Kelli of Sparks, NV March 7, 2007

Kelli of Sparks NV (03/07/07)
We have an 1999 F350 and have had 2 different spark plugs blow in a matter of 7 months. Of course when I called Ford, they denied knowing of a problem and said it didn't matter anyway because I was out of warranty. About a month after our 2nd plug blew, my father's F150 blew a plug.

SO FAR, we have had to pay $2000. in repair expenses to have both plugs rethreaded.

Juliana of Hastings, NY March 5, 2007

Juliana of Hastings NY (03/05/07)
expedition blown spark plug at 65k, at mechanic now. not sure if threads ruined but prolly are...over 4k to fix? this piece of crap isn't even worth 4k!!!!!!!!!!

Mark of Scarborough, ME March 3, 2007

Mark of Scarborough ME (03/03/07)
My 1997 Ford F150 pick up truck had a Spark Plug Blow out.

Wayne of Brighton, MI March 2, 2007

Wayne of Brighton MI (03/02/07)
We joined the Ford spark plug club last week. All of the links I find for class action don't work. Between my POS GMC Jimmy (which has had $1000 of non-reimbursed electrical repair in the steering column switches)I've had. Sorry flag wavers I really tried but the incompetence and arrogance of these companies is too much. My beater Honda needs gas and oil...period: and it has way more miles than my Detroit iron. As the RamChargers used to say...Color me gone.

I used a tap with adapter to fix the head (not helio-coil). It takes a newer smaller spark plug now. Got my fingers crossed. Anyone have any experience with the longevity of this fix?

Steve of Lompoc, CA February 26, 2007

Steve of Lompoc CA (02/26/07)
I was driving home Saturday evening when I smelled something burning. Looking around I noticed out the left rear window sparks hitting the highway from my truck. I pulled over and checked the bed of my truck to find it. I noticed flames underneath the truck between the bed and the cab. Thinking fire and gas tank, I ran and proceeded to call 911.

After reporting it, I turned around and the truck was up in flames. I was out on Highway one between the 101 and Lompoc. The fire truck and highway patrol showed up ,but by the time they did, the truck was halfway melted. The fireperson said it was electrical. It's a 2001 F-150 and I was baffled by what went wrong, only to find out about all this recall cruise control stuff.

The truck is melted. I'm a General Contractor meaning my tools, my business was in it.

Suzanne of Clarksville, TN February 26, 2007

Suzanne  of Clarksville TN (02/26/07)
The entire front portion of my 1997 Ford Contour was on fire. I stood in amazement watching my car get destroyed while awaiting the fire department.

Shannon of Roanoke, VA February 23, 2007

Shannon of Roanoke VA (02/23/07)
My husband's 1999 Ford Ranger XLT, did not catch fire, thank goodness. But we had a problem with smoke coming from the cruise control stick mounted on the steering column, and a popping sound. It stopped and he hasn't had any additional trouble. But I read the info about the fires etc, so he hasn't been using his cruise control anymore.

I called Ford and they told me the Rangers where not included in the recalls. But from reading the info posted here I don't understand that. So many Fords are being recalled...don't they usually all use the same parts????

I am really worried. Is there still an open investigation to see if more vehicles should be recalled?

T of Paso Robles, CA February 20, 2007

T of Paso Robles CA (02/20/07)
My 2001 Ford F150 blew out Spark plug just like all the rest. Dealer said too bad

No $ to fix

Stephanie of Clovis, CA February 20, 2007

Stephanie of Clovis CA (02/20/07)
My stupid Ford Focus as of today has had the ignition switch go out for the third time! I have had nothing but trouble since I bought this car brand new off the lot in September of 2000. Two starters, 3 ignitions, 3 batteries, and 2 alternaters! Talk about a lemon but the lemon law I guess does not apply to this stupid car!

Joe of Grasonville, MD February 19, 2007

Joe of Grasonville MD (02/19/07)
My 2002 F-150 began shuddering about 8 months ago. Since then: I've had all the sparkplugs replaced; reoccured and had an engine coil replaced (about 3 months ago); now it's back worse than ever.

Initially, I'd feel the misfires between 40-60mph under light load only. Now, it's all the time -- idling, most any speed and under practically any load. I took it back to a shop and they correctly diagnosed the problem (as my research has shown); but, since the check engine light is not yet on, they can't narrow it down to what plug/coil to replace.

I'll be following the advice to buy a whole set of coils from eBay for $98 and get the shop to put 'em in. But, I fear that it'll all come back in a few more months, and/or a plug will be spit out and the cylinder head damaged.

I followed Don of Omaha NE's advice and called called Ford's Customer Care department to log an official complaint: 1-800-392-3673. After gathering all my information, she asked what I was seeking from Ford at this time.

 I referenced this website, many others, and that I'm seeking to log a official complaint, hoping that that will lead to Ford offering a recall due to the large number of vehicles that this applies to. She said indeed that it's just this sort of phone call that could lead to a recall being announced. We'll see... So, I second Dan of Omaha's plea: EVERYONE SHOULD CALL FORD TO COMPLAIN!!!

Thomas of Pine Island, NY February 10, 2007

Thomas of Pine Island NY (02/10/07)
As is the case with so many other people, the V-10 Triton engine manufactured by Ford than runs our 2001 Georgetown motor home (chassis by Ford; coach by Forest River of Goshen, Indiana) has blown a spark plug for a second time.

Mechanics willing to re-sleeve the cylinder are few and far between. Ford dealerships will replace the engine head, refusing to use a simple tool, which Ford itself makes, to resleeve the cylinder for the spark plug.

Gas fumes enter the entire coach of the motor home, necessitating the evacuation of my family into our tow vehicle, which is detached, and my driving the motor home as gas fumes enter the coach.

We must continue to drive as I make my living giving talks to small groups of Catholics across the nation. I have no choice but to continue to drive until we find someone to resleeve the cylinder. We found man in northern California in early 2006 who used the tool, which we had to rent from a company in Green Bay, Wisconsin, to resleeve one cylinder. We are in need of finding another such competent person in Alabama or Florida.

This has cost us much in the past. It is costing much at present. Ford must be held accountable for this. I would be willing to testify before a Congressional committee on this dereliction of duty by Ford by its placing the owners of the V-10 Triton engine in great physical jeopardy.

Roslyn of St. Robert, MO January 30, 2007

Roslyn of St. Robert MO (01/30/07)
On 17 January 07, my husband was driving my 2003 Ford Expedition when he felt a jerky, hesitation from the vehicle. He took the vehicle to the Ford dealership and they told him the ignition coil spark plug #5 need to be replaced.

It cost him $349. We thought that would solve the problem when a week later #7 did they same thing. The service department help us with a discount $273 (we were blessed on this one). The service department said that there is moisture in the cylinders and they could dry them out for $219. My vehicle only has 65,000 miles and I bought the vehicle in March 2006.

Angel of Detroit, MI January 29, 2007

Angel of Detroit MI (01/29/07)
I have a 99 expedition, around mid August of 2006, i was riding on the freeway home from work, when i heard a loud pop from my engine sounding like a loud messed up muffler had just blew off, and i started to slow down not able to go over aleast 20mph, pulled over a man looked under my hood and found that my back spark plug had blew out, he tried 3 times to put it back in but he said the threads were strips but when he had a extra spark plug and screwed it in tightly it worked but only temporarly, Again in jan 07 i turned the corner and there it goes again popped out and now im here without a vehicle.

William of San Jose, CA January 16, 2007

William of San Jose CA (01/16/07)
FORD 2000 Excursion with V10 shot out a spark plug and coil. (second plug up from the front right side...#3???) Now I too know what the sound was 2 years ago when we had the vehical towed to a service station... They said you have a common plug problem and $900 later I was on the road again. This time the noise came back in my driveway...so I took a look. The plug is OUT and I can not put it back in. Is there any recourse? I have been driving for over 30 years and this is a FIRST. I think there is a design DEFECT and Ford should step up and take responsibility. I can not pay this a second time!...

David of Shakopee, MN January 15, 2007

David of Shakopee MN (01/15/07)
I have a 1998 Ford Expedition w/5.4 Triton motor. Had spark plug #2 blowout on 1/5/07.

$830.00 in repair/ re-sleeve plug hole

Carole of Chino, CA January 9, 2007

Carole of Chino CA (01/09/07)
In August of 2006 my Ford pick up started running rough. I took it to dealer was number #2 coil and plug had 72,876 and I had purchased extended warenty, which was not covered. cost 434.34. In December the number 8 coil went so I went to auto zone and replaced it along with all plugs. the book says to do this at 100,000 miles I had 77,049, this seamed to fix the problem for about a week then it started to run rough again so took it back to dealer this time was the #5,7, & 2 coil and spark plugs they did not charge me for # 2 coil. but still cost me $448.26.

I don't trust my truck to go anywhere as I still have 4 more coils to go and now I am finding that these engins are puking plugs. If I bought a new pick up would Ford have solved this problem or am I just getting another problem. I am 64 years old and have always owned a Ford had good luck until now.

Milton of San Antonio, TX January 4, 2007

Milton of San Antonio TX (01/04/07)
I had the same problem on the number 5 plug (left front?) on my Mustang GT. This fix works with the Cylinder on the car...my sparkplug was in an easy access place, you might have to remove other stuff to get to yours...good luck! I bought the 14 x 1.25MM Helicoil kit for $78.00. It comes with a tap, 5 Helicoils, and the insertion tube and tool. I had to grind down the edges of the insertion tube so it would fit in the spark plug(cylinder) hole on the 4.6L SOHC Head.

Jeremey of Wallaceburg, OTHER January 3, 2007

Jeremey of Wallaceburg OTHER (01/03/07)
The spark plug blew out from the third cylinder head

It resulted in breaking a coil, breaking the bracket off of my fuel injector as well i had to have the spark plug hole tapped out to get a spark plug to stay in again, as well as new injectors. It has left me without a vehicle for over a week, and it could still happen again.

Ken of Barrington, IL January 3, 2007

Ken of Barrington IL (01/03/07)
In early 2006 I was sitting at a stop just around the corner from my home when I heard this pop and then a repetitive tattering sound from under the hood of my truck. I had the truck taken to a certified ford repair center to find out that it had blown out a spark plug. The repair facility stated that Ford trucks are imfamous for doing this and when it happens it strips the aluminum head requiring a replacement head or helicoil insert.

The facility fixed my truck and I was on my way, only 43,000 miles on my truck and I get it serviced around every 3000 miles. On December 31st 2006 I was half way home in a 700+ mile trip with my family when I heard a very familiar pop and the same repetitive tattering under my hood. I immediately pulled off the road, 36 degrees outside and raining, to find out that I had another plug that had been blown from the number 1 cylinder.

I was lucky that I just recieved some tools for Christmas, which I opened and used to get the plug reinserted so that I could get my truck home. If this had been just my wife and kids, which it was suppose to be, then they would have been stranded on the side of the road and I would have incurred a tow charge along with the repair charge I will have to incur. This is a big problem with Ford trucks and if Ford is not going to own up and fix this problem free of charge to the consumers that experiences this problem then I think they should be forced to recall and fix all vehicles with this potential problem.

The unfortunate part of this is that my Dad is a huge proponent of Ford Trucks and has been a Ford truck owner since 1967. My dad has passed on his secured feeling about Ford trucks to both my brother and myself. My Dad has owned 4 Ford trucks and I have owned 1, this my first, and if this cannot be resolved then I can not buy another Ford truck going forward because I must buy vehicles that I can trust from a company I can trust.

Eric of Hodges, AL January 2, 2007

Eric of Hodges AL (01/02/07)
I have had 3 Spark plugs ejected from the heads of My 2001 F-150 pickup

The cost to repair these has exceeded $1500

Gordon of Frederick, MD January 2, 2007

Gordon of Frederick MD (01/02/07)
The second sparkplug on the passenger side blew out of the cylinder head destroying the coil in the process.

The only apparent physical damage is to the cylinder head (stripped threads), the coil (destroyed) and the spark plug. The repairs will cost approximately $1100 at the local Ford dealer. Fortunately, they think they can make the repair without pulling the head. If they had to pull the head, the repairs would cost over $3000.

Tony of Canton, MI December 26, 2006

Tony of Canton MI (12/26/06)
Just like many others, my 2002 Excursion with the 6.8l started spitting spark plugs. The #6 plug was spit out tonight for the second time. At this point I will be pursuing the timsert solution.

Lucas of Waynesville, NC December 25, 2006

Lucas of Waynesville NC (12/25/06)
This is another Ford engine sparkplug blowout story. I own a 2002 F150 with 65k on it. It blew a plug about a year ago which I had repaired via a sleeve as there was no way I was gonna pay over $3000 that the dealer wanted for a head replacement. Then, it just did it again while I am on vacation in FL. Now I have a rental car expense, my vacation ruined, etc. over a problem Ford fails to fix. This complete bull and they need to be hung out to dry on it.

Bill of Simi Valley, CA December 25, 2006

Bill of Simi Valley CA (12/25/06)
I like many others have had my 2002 Ford F-150 blow a spark plug out of the cylinder head. To repair it took 5 days and $3,000 for a new head. After discussing this with the service tech at my local Ford dealership he informed me that this is a very common occurance. He said that Ford had only used 3 threads in the head that failed, but are now replacing them with a 7 thread head., This tells me that they are very aware of the problem but are willing to leave their customers footing the bill. I guess the scary part about that is I still have 4 more 3 thread spark plug holes to worry about blowing out,.I absolutly feel this should be under a re-call.

Daniel of Perrysville, OH December 18, 2006

Daniel of Perrysville OH (12/18/06)
Blew the #3 spark plug out of the engine. No warranty protection. Estimated repair cost $3,500. Same problem thousands of 5.4 ltr v-8 Triton engines are experiencing. Need help!! Ford should recognize the problem and recall!!

Milton of San Antonio, TX December 14, 2006

Milton of San Antonio TX (12/14/06)
I purchased a 2000 Mustang GT in Florida and was driving it back home to Texas. Everything was going fine until just outside of Houston (200 miles left of a 1400 mile trip). I heard a loud pop from the front of the car, then a loud hissing that was going off and on at a rate of about 5 per second (approximation). I first thought I had blown a tire but the car wasn't handling any different. Pulling to the side of the road, listening to the noise, then opening the hood, I noted that one of the spark plugs had blown out of the engine. The coil over that plug (this car uses coils on each spark plug, not the old spark plug wires with one distributor setup) was lying on top of the engine with the plug still in the rubber boot. Long short of the story, I am, among other things, an experienced mechanic. I own a shop where we build racing Jet Ski's. I immediately knew that the plug had somehow stripped the threads in the head. I then disconnected the plug coil and the injector, put the plug/coil in the car and drove the last 200 miles without it. Of course it made lots of noise and ran poorly but it beat the promise of sitting on the side of the road waiting for a tow truck and a very expensive tow job to where ever. Upon getting back to San Antonio, I stopped by several shops looking for a Helicoil and tap to fit that sparkplug hole. I went several places and found what I needed. After tapping the hole with the new tool I bought, I taped a 3/8 tube to the end of my shop vacuum, sucked out the aluminum shavings from the cylinder, then inserted the Helicoil. (A helicoil is a spring looking set of threads that fit into a newly tapped or threaded hole to fix the damaged or missing threads that were there originally.) Since the threads had completely stripped out, I simply replaced them with the Helicoil. The whole fix took me about an hour, and now it's better than new. My total cost was $78.00. I did the repair with the HEAD ON THE ENGINE. I don't recommend a novice to do this, but any competent mechanic that has done Helicoil's before can manage it. Bottom line, Ford dealers telling anyone that to fix this problem is in the thousands of dollars is simply RIPPING YOU OFF!!!

È

Edward of Hauppauge, NY December 13, 2006

Edward of Hauppauge NY (12/13/06)
About a year ago I bought a Lincoln Navagater with 28,000 miles on it. I bought the truck through Neil Lincoln in Medford NY. I paid $2500 for an extended warranty to cover me to 75000 miles. Well, I was going to work last week when the spark plug in my # 6 cyl. striped and blew out.Almost caused a chain 10 car or more pile up on Jerehico Tpke. Rt25 In Huntington NY. I had the car towed to the dealer. Sayville Ford ( because Neil Lincoln is now out of business ) So, I bought a LINCOLN , A warranty thru

The ford dealer and had all my service and sceduled maintaince done by Lincoln Dealer( witch is a total rip off ) But I did it because I thought If I had a problem they would fix it. The extended warranty people will not pay becauce this is a design flaw where ford only has a few threads holding the spark plug in an alum. block. So now I have a 500 dollar a mo. payment plus a rent a car for 199. a week. and ford says that they are not responsable. Well , If people were getting killed because of this it would get more attention. But then again if I died I would not be able to tell the story. So here I am pleading my case. I know that as a consumer, I did everything right. Now its time for someone to take the bull by the horns and stick up for the consumer. I just read through 89 pages with about 3 or 4 complaints per page.about 340 cases of the same thing that happened to me. The dealer at sayville ford told me to fix it right its 5800 dollars plus tax.

Now I sill have to pay 500/Mo. for this truck at least 6 K to fix it. Also I have 4 more years of payments @ 500/Mo. and on top of it I have to go out and buy another car so I can afford to work and get to work so I can live. Not to mention the total waste of time and mental stress.Can someone please step up to the plate and fight for whats right before someone gets even more hurt or even worse Killed !

Delores of Los Angeles, CA December 13, 2006

Delores of Los Angeles CA (12/13/06)
Saturday December 9, 2006, my son was driving my 2004 Ford Explorer to come and pick me up. While exiting there was a puddle (raining) my son hit the brakes they locked and the truck flipped over. The top caved in. I was just looking at a report on Fox 11 news about how the Ford Explorer's are not being too successful passing safety inspections and I know they have a history of brakes locking. Thank God my son had on his seat belt.

My truck is totaled, roll over damage and cannot be restored.

Matthew of Sherwood, AR December 11, 2006

Matthew of Sherwood AR (12/11/06)
I own a 1999 Ford F150 with the 5.4 Triton V8. I have had it for two years now and have not had any problems until earlier this year when a spark plug blew out on the drivers side. Luckily it had managed to keep the threads and I managed to put a new plug in it. I thought it was from when I had changed plugs out 3-4 months ago. About 3 weeks later it did it again and broke the power pack. So I went and bought a new plug and pack , but when I tried to put it back in, it wouldnt tighten. THE THREADS WERE STIPPED!!! I was shocked when I looked online and found that there was 100s of cases of this. I called Ford and they denied knowing anything and said the only thing would be a new head, expensive one at that.

My truck sat for a week while I looked for other resources that was capable and willing to do a repair. I finally found a shop that would put a heli-coil, i think that is how it goes in it. Because of the plug number, they could get to it easy, so it cost me around $300, alot cheaper than a head. I have not had a problem with it since, although I have had to tighten another spark plug repeatedly after noticing an unusual sound during startup. Luckily I manage to hear it before it blows out. My wife doesnt like to drive it now because of the what if and I dont know what to hear for, so I am thinking of getting rid of it now. I would recommend it if you can find a shop that is willing to do the work, because some won't.

Bobby of Avondale, AZ December 8, 2006

Bobby of Avondale AZ (12/08/06)
Like the other folks, I have drive about four Fords and awhile back a spark plug blew out of the aluminum head and Ford says it is my truck and for $2,500 they will take care of it. I told them where to put it and went out and bought a Dodge. If Ford does not care enough to take care of its customers on what is apparently a nationwide problem then we can see why they are losing money and will continue to lose money. Do not support their products.

I just got rid of the truck

Mark of Port Edwards, WI December 6, 2006

Mark of Port Edwards WI (12/06/06)
Was just driving my 99 ford f-150 at 40 mph and all of a sudden made such racket under the hood I cringed. Had to drive truck another 5 miles at less then 10mph and started to troubleshoot the problem after I finally got home. It was almost zero outside and was not going to wait for a tow truck for me and my two small children. Found that the number 4 cylinder had destroyed the threads within the cylinder head.

Jeneille of Boise, ID December 6, 2006

Jeneille of Boise ID (12/06/06)
I bought a ford escape from my family who bought the vehicle new in 2003...I have owned the car for five monthes and the engine blew up as I was driving down the road without any warning....I am diligent about changing the oil and take good care of my car....I called Ford because there is only 75,000 miles on the car and this should not be happening...they were rude...mind you my mother has owned a ford explorer for almost 10 years... the sad part is I am a young hard working female stuck in montana, trying to find a engine and still get back to idaho to work (I have already missed 2 days)...and here's the kicker it's 3600 for a used engine or 6000 for a new...what do you do! I hate ford and looking on the internet it appears that I am not the only one that this has happened too...

Danny of Danville, IL December 4, 2006

Danny of Danville IL (12/04/06)
1999 Mercury Grand Marquis. 4.6 L engine. Spark plug blow out #8 cylinder. This is not an isolated incident from what I have been reading. Ford needs to step up and take responsibility for their engineering mistake before people start getting killed. Apparently there is no mileage consideration or specific time when it happens. The plug just blows out and your car loses power and makes all kinds of noise. If this happened in a bad neighborhood I guarentee they would return fire thinking it was a drive by shooting.

Jeff of Marshville, NC December 2, 2006

Jeff of Marshville NC (12/02/06)
99 F150 number 4 spark plug blow out .Went to pick up kids at school, shut truck off to wait in line,went to start up and pow sound like a shot went off. Pop up hood and saw coil moving. Pulled coil off and found plug . Looks like I can join the club now .1999 f150 120,000 miles

Richard of Centereach, NY November 30, 2006

Richard of Centereach NY (11/30/06)
While on vacation driving in south Florida ,the 4th pass. side spark plug blew out and caused flames under the hood of my 1999 F350 Ford. resulting in a repair bill of more than $1000.00. reported to NHTSA ,with no results , I thought a FIRE under the hood was important, Guess NOT ! Ford company was no help either. Still waiting to here of someone Burnt from flames.

HAD TO SPEND TWO DAYS AND $ 1000.00 , more than 1500 miles from HOME.

Trevor of San Marcos, CA November 29, 2006

Trevor of San Marcos CA (11/29/06)
On March 31st 2006 I went to my girlfriends house to visit. I parked in front of there house and was in side for at least half an hour to an hour when her dad looks out the window and yells that my 2001 ford f-150 is on fire. It caught fire after i had turned my engine off. I ran outside and the entire front of my truck was up in flames. The fire was so intense that it melted all the glass and hood right off. It came from under the hood. The truck was totalled. The fire department had to come and barely put it out before it exploaded. I lost everything. To this day, I still havent recovered my losses.

My truck was totalled. I lost everything in there. It melted the pavement below and sidewalk. I lost clothes, my ipod, all my cd's. 6 cd changer, brand new bf goodrich all terrain tires, bed liner, etc. I recovered nothing. One of the insurance people said it was the cruise control, which was right but after that, no one said anything and Insurance gave me basically nothing. Ford never contacted me back after i attempted. They are at fault but wont pay for anything.

John of Chicago, IL November 28, 2006

John of Chicago IL (11/28/06)
I have a Ford F150 and was doing about 40 down the street and heard a loud noise. I paid 175.00 to have my truck towed to the dealer. The dealer has told me it is the number 3 spark plug that blew and it will cost 2400.00 to fix it. it has been 2 days since the breakdown and the warranty company says it will take 48 hours more to determine whether they will cover the repairs. We don't hold much hope of that as the sparks plugs are not covered under the warranty.

My wife had to pick me up from work that day. My wife now has to stay home from work in order for me to go to work. We made that desicion because I make more than my wife. They are telling me that I will not get my truck back until at least monday that means my wife will miss at least 4 days of work.

Rick of Rockwall, TX November 24, 2006

Kim of Rockwall TX (11/24/06)
On Oct. 9, 2006 our 2000 Ford Expedition caught fire in our driveway.The fire totaled our Expedition, heat damaged our Ford Explorer sitting next to it, burned our garage on our new house, and smoke damaged our new fence that was less than 3 months old. The fortunate side of this story is a neighbor saw the back of our house and car was on fire and alerted us in time to get out before our house burned down and possibly killed us.

The fire department told us of a recall, my husband nor I had received any letters of a recall. We luckily had full insurance on our 2000 Expedition, but had to pay three different deductibles totalling $4600. Our totally burned truck sat in our driveway next to our burned house for over a month waiting on FORD, who NEVER CAME to evaluate the situation (we were informed by our insurance company they would). The bright side of this story is we are alive, but want to inform as many people as we can of this story so it doesn't happen to anyone else.

The economic damage was $3600.00 deductible on our house, $500.00 for a totalled 2000 Ford Expedition, $500.00 deductible for a Ford Explorer Truck. The countless hours off dealing with contractors, and the emotional stress this has put on our lives.

Jacobus of San Jose, CA November 18, 2006

Jacobus of San Jose CA (11/18/06)
My 1998 Ford Expedition XLT caught fire when parked in the parking lot of Georgio's restaurant after driving for about 20 minutes. Fire started in the engine compartment and remained localized there. Entire engine compartment flamed up, burned a hole through the hood, and damaged everything forward of the vehicles firewall. Flame was contained and extinguished using industrial fire extinguishers available at the restaurant Georgio's where my wife, daughter, and I were meeting my parents for dinner. The vehicle has a good service record and has been service at the local Ford dealer a few times, so this was a huge surprise.

Fairly confident the vehicle will be declared totaled by my insurance carrier Geico. My wife and I depend on having a second vehicle because I drive our other vehicle 60 minutes away every day for work. Since she spends her time raising our daughter, I am the sole source of income, but we're unsure that income can accommodate a car payment (both of our vehicles are paid for).

Robert of Richmond, VA November 13, 2006

Robert of Richmond VA (11/13/06)
11/12/06 the car (Crown Victoria) caught fire after sitting in the drive for 12 hours.

Total loss to car and truck sitting next to it.

Jim of Marion, NY November 1, 2006

Jim of Marion NY (11/01/06)
This is a follow up on the trouble I'm haveing with my 1998 Ford Expadition, 4.6 V8. Started the truck up heard a loud bang shut off the motor and opened the hood and found that the spark plug on the passenger side 2nd one back had blowen of of the head. took it to Bob Bonosky ford in Macedon NY, spoke with a tech named Shawn, He told me that this is a problem and that ford is aware of it. It seems that there is a flaw in the head design,and they have not stepped up to the bat, Ford suggest that the head be replaced,But they will not pay for it. So I called ford, I was told that ( yes we are aware of this problem and to make sure I take it to a ford dealer to have it repaired at my cost,We do not have a program in place to address this issue and no, Ford will not pay to have it repaired, Thank you very much for calling.) Shawn at Bob Bonosky Ford told me that they have a sleeve kit to repair the head, (Its not a helicoil) and he has fix a number of them and has not had any come back,The repair cost me $305.00. Replaceing the head does not fix the flaw, it fix's the problem till the head lets go of another spark plug, The design is the same. I strongly incouage all the people that have had this happen to them, To call and complain to Ford and anyone else who will listen, its the sqweeky wheel that will get the oil,

Steven of Charlotte, NC October 30, 2006

Steven of Charlotte NC (10/30/06)
I purchased a 2005 f150 brand new.. loved the truck.. then today i realize just how safe my f150 is to leave alone for a few minutes... Someone with a flatblade screwdriver gave the door handle a wack below the lock cylinder through the plastic and catching the rim of the lock cylinder. on the driver side equiped with the keyless entry and then used the screwdriver to turn the lock. they were in the truck, in less then 1 minute.. how is it that someone can break into a brand new truck with a screwdriver in a minute? can ford not afford to make better locks and door handles? must they use plastic and cheap locks? i can open my door with any key of any length... you can use the end of a dinner knife to turn the lock, as all you have to do is just get an object in about 1/8th of an inch, if that...

Satama of Willingboro, NJ October 26, 2006

Satama of Willingboro NJ (10/26/06)
I own a 2003 Ford Escape limited edition, and have 88,000mi on it, most of which are highway miles. My transmission just went out! The good thing is that I was still in the parking lot at work when it happened.. the only indication that something was wrong is that it was a little sluggish earlier in the day. I called Ford to see if there was a discount program that I could benefit from seeing that the vehicle was only three years old. No I don't have an extended warranty on it.. never thought I would need one on a newer vehicle. I was told there was no help for me.. Ford Tough.. not so in my case..

Ken of Taunton, MA October 24, 2006

Ken of Taunton MA (10/24/06)
Spark Plug blow out on 2001 F150 5.4L. Cost me time off from work and some way to pay $3,000 to fix.

Matthew of Dayton, OH October 22, 2006

Matthew of Dayton OH (10/22/06)
On October 6th 2006, my 1999 Ford F150 caught fire in my driveway. It was not running. According to the Dayton Fire Department, and the forensic firm that inspected the vehicle, the fire originated at the master cylinder--the exact place that the Ford cruise control engineering defect is located. The vehicle is/was insured, however I use the vehicle for my living. My insurance company will only settle with me fior nothing more than blue book value. This doesn't begin to approach the disruption to my life and business. Fortunately, there was no major property damage or loss of life. I have spoken with Ford's legal department and they are refusing to make any accomdations for my losses. I had made a simple and very modest proposal to them to make things right---in fact my request to Ford was significantly less than the losses I have altready suffered. Further, I was asking for a modest accomodation in purchasing a new Foprd vehicle; a situation that would kept me as a Ford customer. I VERY MUCH want to talk to other Ford owners who have experienced a fire.

Amos of Houston, TX October 21, 2006

Amos of Houston TX (10/21/06)
On October 21,2006, My 2000 Ford 150 crew cab pick up truck caught fire while parked in fron of my daughter's appartment. Vehicle was totally destroyed.

My Ford 150 was totally destroyed and the car parked next to it sustain over $2,000 worth of damage.

David of Clovis, CA October 18, 2006

David of Clovis CA (10/18/06)
My 2005 ford F-350 caught fire while parked in my driveway. Truck is totaled

Loras of Winston, GA September 23, 2006

Loras of Winston GA (09/23/06)
Well, I guess I'll add my name to this trail of tears. My 1999 Ford Expedition 5.4 Triton just spit out the #3 spark plug and after reading the litany of complaints, I have no delusions that this is going to be expensive. I'm going to call the Ford dealership on Monday to get the bad news. It's a shame that an otherwise really nice vehicle can be screwed up with one design defect and turn people away from buying future Ford products. Chrysler had a similar problem that went on for years with transmissions failing in their minivans. Chrysler wouldn't pay for it either. It seems that when the problem is not safety related, the manufacturers feel they can get away with it!

Daniel of Colorado Spring, CO September 23, 2006

Daniel of Colorado Spring CO (09/23/06)
Similiar to many issues others are having with spark plugs blowing out of the block. My problem though less expensive is still quite flustrating. My spark plugs are continually burning out. I've been replacing plugs in my 98 F-150 5.4 for the last three months after I had Ford replace faulty coil packs. Since they had my truck my plugs have been fouling out left and right, and they will take no responsibility for the problem.

I

Ray of Chanhassen, MN September 21, 2006

Ray of Chanhassen MN (09/21/06)
Plug on #3 cylinder blew at 92,000 miles on my 2002 F150. Expense aside I will never trust this truck in the backwoods in the Winter in Minnesota. No reply from Ford.

Scott of Dupo, IL September 9, 2006

Scott of Dupo, IL (09/09/06)
Ignition lock failed without warning on my 2001 Ford Focus. Key would not go in and when it finally did, the lock refused to turn. After doing an Internet search I am not alone with this problem. Apparently it is a widely known problem concerning the earlier models of the Focus. Which, to the best of my knowledge Ford has refused to address properly.

Barbara of Spotsylvania, VA September 8, 2006

Barbara of Spotsylvania, VA (09/08/06)
My 2001 Ford F150 Truck caught on fire while parked, with the ignition off, on September 5, 2006. Please note that I am the second owner of this vehicle and received no safety recall notice. 

After contacting my insurance company  and speaking with others I was advised to see if there were any recalls on the vehicle that might have been connected with the fire. During my research I discovered there are two recalls and specifically the speed control system modification recall states it could lead to fire. This is very alarming as I never received any information on this recall and my vehicle has caught on fire and is a total loss.

I may owe more then what the truck is valued, so once I am able to pay off the loan I will then be without a vehicle and will have to incur a higher debt to replace the vehicle.

Dee of Sylacauga, AL September 7, 2006

Dee of Sylacauga AL (09/07/06)
Ford F150 caught on fire in parking lot at work. Fire was due to recall of faulty parts (cruise control) Outcome pending.

Harris of Milford, MA September 3, 2006

Harris of Milford MA (09/03/06)
On August 30th 2006 my 2000 Ford F150 burst into flames while parked in my cousins driveway. The truck had been parked there for about 45 minutes.The truck which is paid off is a total loss the police report cited a recalled cruise contol switch.The fire chief then ran his vin number for the towns Ford fire vehicle and found he has the recalled cruise control switch  in his truck and had not yet been notified.

Patsy of Helotes, TX August 21, 2006

Patsy of Helotes TX (08/21/06)
My 2000 Ford Explorer caught on fire sitting in my garage and burned down the garage and everything in it.

I have good insurance but they will not pay for what burned in the car, all the landscaping that burned, a melted sprinkler system, the rental car until I could buy a new one, and will only pay depreciated value of what I can remember was in the garage. Plus, I've spent 100s of hours running around and on the Internet trying to find costs. My out of pocket will come to about $100,000. I know already this isn't enough to warrant a lawsuit so how do I get my money back?

Stephanie of Hampton, VA August 19, 2006

Stephanie of Hampton VA (08/19/06)
On August 12,2005, I happened to be outside in front of my home, and thank God I was. Smoke spontaneously began to come from under the hood of my 2001 Ford Expedition. As the smoke became more fierce, I imnmediately called the fire department as the truck was parked at the entrance of my garage (luckily not inside). By the time I was off the phone with the fire department, my truck was in full flames, and me and my 4 year old son and 1 year old daughter, ran into the back yard terrified, as the truck appeared as if it were going to blow, and the house with it.

I frantically called the fire department back and asked that they hurry as the truck was in full flames. The siding on my house began to melt and the garage door as well by the time the fire dept. arrived. I heard loud popping sounds as the windows were blowing out and the engine blowing up. It was horrible. The truck was originally purchased by my husband who passed suddenly 10 months prior. Needless to say it held sentimental value as well as a great deal of customizations that he had placed on it as it was a great love of his.

My insurance only offered blue book for the truck and a small amount for my customizations. My truck was paid for, and I now have to take up another car payment, and just the hassle of insurance agents, home insurers, investigtors etc. Ford was not even apologetic. To date I haven't received a letter or anything. I am appalled to read that this same thing has happened to so many others. My fire was also attributed to this cruise switch, but I did not receive the recall notice, nor do I watch the news. I would never buy another Ford, and can't belive the nonchalant attitude they've taken toward families whose lives are being placed at imminent risk daily. I am disgusted at their uncooperative attitude. I'm only thankful that my children and I were not driving at the time. The car had been parked for over two hours when the fire started. Unbelievable!

Audie of Heflin, AL August 18, 2006

Audie of Heflin AL (08/18/06)
Our 1998 Crown Victoria caught fire while we were visiting a community church. The fire took place when engine was off. We were contacted several minutes after leaving the vehicle parked outside the church. We were very thankful that we were not in the vehicle with our family. This Crown Vic has recently had a 1999 Mercury Marquis Motor put in it as the 1998 motor with 80000 plus miles locked up. We are very disappointed in the fact that we have had to put so much money in this vehicle to keep it running just to have it catch fire from a possible manufacturing error in electronic wiring due to cruise control or other elements.

Due to the fire we are without a necessary vehicle needed for the family.

Joann of Durand, IL August 18, 2006

Joann of Durand IL (08/18/06)
My 1995 f-150 burnt to the ground after it had not been started for 3 days. My truck that i had just bought 5 months before it burnt to the ground. It hadn't been licensed yet so it wasn't even on the road. I contacted Ford motor co. had to pay tro have it towed to ford and back to my home so they could investigate then told me that there was too much fire damage to tell what caused it. After the fact i found out there was a recall.  I still owe 1 1/2 yr payments on a truck that I've never got to put on the road yet.

Mike of Cottage Grove, MN August 9, 2006

Mike of Cottage Grove MN (08/09/06)
5 minutes after i parked my 2003 f 150 in my garage it started on fire and destroyed garage and all contents dont park these trucks close to any structure until fixed the fire investigators said the fire was over 2000 deg.

its been a tough 3 years with my insurance company the fire was july 27 2003 1 1/2 years before the recall ive been accused of arson even though the investigators wrote that the truck was the cause i lost 100,000 plus in tools alone as they argued my contents

Scott of Bloomington, MN August 9, 2006

Scott of Bloomington MN (08/09/06)
1994 Ford F 150 burned up while sitting in driveway. Paper boy knocked and woke me up at 5 am on 8/5/06 saying truck was on fire. Fire engulfed whole engine compartment then the cab area. Truck is burned out completely.

Work materials (tools, compressors,generator etc) in rear of truck were melted and/or damaged. Garage door was burned on surface. Picket fence sections were burned and a patio canopy was burned. Also a neighbors truck was next to mine and had damage to right side paint and rt front tire, mirror, window, headlight assembly and fender and bumper trim. Also an 18 speed mountain bike was burned and melted.

Earl of Arp, TX August 4, 2006

Earl of Arp TX (08/04/06)
My 1994 Ford Truck blew up ...melted the siding on my house...had not been driven in 2 days...Ford would not do anything about this.

Price of Newport, AR August 4, 2006

Price of Newport AR (08/04/06)
Our 2000 excursion caught on fire while PARKED in our garage and burned our house to the ground. We were economically devastated as our homeowners insurance was out of force for 3 days!

Matt of Spring Valley, CA July 30, 2006

Matt of Spring Valley CA (07/30/06)
On July 28 I left for work as I usually do. I noticed nothing suspicious as I walk passed our 2000 Expedition.  As I arrived at my office, I receied a frantic phone call from my wife stating the car was on fire and was burning the house. I sped home to find the expedition a total loss and the front of my home totally burnt to a crisp. After reading all the other horror stories I seriously doubt that Ford will step up to the plate and help any of us recall victims..

Pamela of Aiken, SC July 20, 2006

Pamela of Aiken SC (07/20/06)
Our 2001 Ford F150 caught on fire in a repair shop in Aiken on the night of July 3rd, 2006. Prior to this happening to us we were completely unaware that there was a problem with certain Ford vehicles. I heard today that a Lincoln Navigator(made by Ford) burned a home down in Columbia, SC over the weekend and also a F150 caught on fire in a bank parking lot today in Aiken, SC. Something has to be done to protect everyone...its not just the owners that can be injured.

My truck had not been worked on as it was towed to the shop Friday June 30th and I told the shop owner to wait until after the holiday weekend. My truck ignited on its own and was a total loss. It had blown a 5 amp fuse and we wanted to know why that was happening. The fire also spread to a separate vehicle in the shop and it was also a total loss. The repair shop has been unable to open to this date as we are trying to find out how to get Ford to be responsible since it is a defect in a part that is in certain Ford vehicles. The shop owner can't even get Ford to come look at the vehicle..but we received a letter that the truck could not be moved until they sent someone to 'investigate'.

The shop has suffered over $150,000 worth of damage including all computer systems, roof, etc. There were also several other vehicles in the shop that suffered damage as well. I have spoken with Ford and been told that 'anytime you operate a gasoline powered vehicle with a hot engine to expect a fire'...ok....don't think so....but my engine was not hot...the truck had not been operated in several days.

I also have a Ford 2003 Excursion that has a recall on it...I've just found out....I am terrified to have it near my home or put my children inside of it. Since this has happened to us we have become aware through the internet that this is an ongoing problem with several of the vehicles that Ford makes....and even if you don't own one..it could still affect you if you park near one or your vehicle is in the shop next to one. If you can't assist us, could you tell us where to go to get someone to help us. By the grace of God, our truck was not in our garage or we would have lost our home....as some people have already.

Fortunately for us, we had full insurance coverage on the truck that burned. We are still out our deductible and personal items that were in the truck and items that were installed on the truck such as Flowmaster muffler, european tail lights, and we had just spent over $1300 to service the transmission, install new front and rear rotors, clean the fuel injectors, etc. We would not have spent that on it if we had known this was going to happen. We are also out the use of our 2003 Ford Excursion as I am now afraid to have it near my home or allow my children to ride in it. It is a very expensive lawn ornament. I would like for Ford to buy it back as I can not in good conscience sell it to someone knowing there is a possibility of it catching on fire as well.

Mary of Pasadena, TX May 1, 2006

Mary Elisa of Pasadena TX (05/01/06)
April 12th, 2006 my husband went into the hospital. I went to the hospital very early before 7:00 a.m. on April 13th due to my husband having surgery.

Around 11:30 to 12:00 noon we were notified in his hospital room that our 1997 expedition had burned. I had never received a recall on the vehicle but on April 29th I received a recall letter in the mail.

The letter has no exact date except April 2006. The envelope does not have a date either. My insurance is still working on my claim. I did not contact Ford since I have insurance but I still do not know how much will be covered.

According to the arson report fire was due to unspecified electrical short in the engine compartment.

My entire vehicle was burned along with items that I had in my vehicle. I have no car and the insurance is taking their time.

Kristina of Huffman, TX May 1, 2006

Kristina of Huffman TX (05/01/06)
My husband and I bought and paid cash for a 1999 Ford F150. On June 27th, we woke to a loud sond. Looked out window, flames shooting up through hood of truck. Fire dept came out, truck was a total loss. Captain stated appears that fire started by cruise control switch. My 94 Nissan Pathfinder was also damaged next to truck. We are without vehicles. Paid cash, therefore, had liability only which covers neither per adjuster. We are at a loss of what to do.

Called Ford Recall line. His truck was recalled prior to us purchasing in Sept 05. We had no knowledge of this. They said a complaint would be filed with consumer affairs, and that we would receive a letter in 5 to 7 days.

I worked for JPMorgan Chase 10 years and they closed our office. My husband has tried to repair my vehicle enough to get him to work. He lost all of his tools in the truck (ceiling foreman for 15 yrs). I have no vehicle now to get a job. We will probally lose our house. I could get a night time job for now, but my husband works late nights sometimes and no sitter for 2 small children. This has and will hurt us tremendously, as I know this will be a long process. 

Debra of Langhorne, PA April 25, 2006

Debral of Langhorne PA (04/25/06)
On Easter Sunday afternoon my 1997 Ford Expedition just blew up in my driveway.  Fortunately, my neighbor was outside and saw it and called 911. The fire dept. arrived in 10-15 minutes saving my house and garage!

We were not home when this happened. The truck was not driven at all that day. I did receive the cruise control recall and had it DONE on Feb. 2, 2006.

S.h. of York Region, OTHER April 24, 2006

S of York Region, Canada (04/24/06)
My son was driving our 1991 F-150 Ford when he noticed flames shooting out of the motor area.  By the time he pulled the truck over the flames were coming in around his feet. He then had problems undoing his seat belt.  The flames were worse, but he did manage to get the belt undone and jumped out of the truck.  The truck burned to ashes (or to metal) and there is nothing else left of it. 

So I also had a "flaming ford" as I read over the net that they are now called.

Robert of Akron, OH April 14, 2006

Robert of Akron OH (04/14/06)
I had been in the truck at around about 4:00pm. On April 13, 2006 at 6:30 pm the horn on the truck began to sound off consistently on its own. I looked outside and saw black and yellow smoke bellowing from the hood. I quickly told my wife that truck was on fire and that we had to leave the house. We exited out through the back door. We watched from across the street as the truck burned and caused external damage to the house melting away the vinyl siding and charring the garage door.

The Akron Fire Fighters showed up and contained the fire, took information, and cleared us to return to the house. I had Liability Ins. on the truck -- it's gone and I have no transportation at all now. My homeowners insurance company is dealing with the external damage to my home and I'm sure they are going to want to talk to Ford Motor Corp. about that as well.

Alan of Naugatuck, CT March 29, 2006

Alan of Naugatuck CT (03/29/06)
My 1999 Ford 3500 truck was parked in front of my house for 3 days without being used at 3:a.m. Monday morning I woke up to see my truck fully engulfed in flames. It was a chilly 30 degrees that night.

The fire marshal came in and told me that Ford had recalls because of a live wire that stays hot and starts fires like mine. The next day he inspected the charred truck again and said it was caused by faulty wiring.

I contacted Ford. They sent an inspector a week later and after a few calls they decided to tell me they could not determine the origin of the fire and I was on my own.

I requested a copy of there report and they refused to give it to me. My truck is totaled and I still have eight payments on it. It was my work truck and main way to make my money.

Ford admitted they have a problem to me but then stone walled me when it came down to money.

Gary of Hoodsport, WA March 26, 2006

Gary of Hoodsport WA (03/26/06)
My 1984 ford ranger back fired when I started it up and the carborator caught fire. It was fully engulfed in flames within 2 minutes. It burnt to the ground within 10 minutes. The fire dept. was called and they extinguished the truck leaving only the back tires and bed intact. Pictures are available if requested.

Our loss was not covered by insurance - basic liability. Thanks to fast action and smart thinking the truck was pulled from the garage and burnt to the ground in our driveway.

Scott of Sacramento, CA March 17, 2006

Scott  of Sacramento CA (03/17/06)
I have a 1998 Ford Expedition. I own a repair shop and take very good care of my vehicles.

I had left my shop and went to a friends house.I was only there for 5 minutes when his wife heard an explosion from out side and had yelled down stairs to us that somthing is on fire.I opened the door and a thick cloud of smoke filled the front of the house.

I then could see flames coming from the driver side hood.I ran out and tried to put the fire out.It was so hot of a flame that it melted a 2 foot hole in the hood. I now find out that a recall has been issued.I have been in the automotive field for over 25 years.

If you own a Ford car or SUV make sure you call your dealer asap and see if you have any recalls on your vehicles. I dont want any one to see any one injured or killed by this recall flaw that Ford has .

So if you have a Ford truck or SUV in the parking lot, don't park next to it .Ford will not help you with any damage caused by this manufacture defect..

So save a life and tell a friend Frds can and will catch fire when you leat expect it. Keep safe and check all manufactures for there defects and call backs before buying this goes for new and used certified or not.

Kristina of Barnhart, TX March 16, 2006

Kristina of Barnhart TX (03/16/06)
I have been reading some postings by people who have had the same problem I've had. I own a l996 Ford F-150 truck or at least I did, because it caught fire on March 10, 2006.

The fire started under the hood when it was being driven. At first something sounded like a pop and the truck died then smoke started coming out from under the hood pretty soon when I opened the door to get out the vehicle was already in flames.

I barely got out when the truck completly went up in flames. My truck was old but so far had been reliable and I was always on top of it being serviced. I do not know what caused the fire.

Joann of Newtown, PA March 9, 2006

Joann of Newtown PA (03/09/06)
We had a 1998 Ford F250 series that caught fire due to the cruise control deactivation switch.

The fire burned the truck completely.  It was total loss and burned my car that was parked beside the truck.  The fire caused more than $20,000 damages to my garage and property.

The insurance company is balking and this has cost us a fortune!

When I contacted Ford they said that I have insurance.  We were left with a huge financial burden.

Jenniferdouglas of Broken Arrow, OK March 6, 2006

Jennifer of Broken Arrow OK (03/06/06)
I had a 2001 Lincoln Navigator for 2 1/2 years and on October 6, 2005 at 5:00pm a police officer up the street barged in my house screaming my car was on fire and to get out of the house.

I had 13 people in my house that day. Thank God no one was hurt!

My car was totaled. I had no recall information at the time. The firemen said it was all under the hood and told me about the Ford recall. I received the recall letter the day after the fire. I have the envelope with the postmark of October 4, 2005.

Ford will not speak to me. My insurance company paid for most of the damage but not all. I am out of pocket for my rental cal and it has caused me many headaches and time off work.  Ford needs to step up and take care of us.  We bought their car. The finance company paid Ford and they do not care about us.

Ford now stands for Fire On Residential Driveway.  I paid on that car $581.09 a month for 2 1/2 years and that money is just lost. That is so wrong.

Sheila of Fort Washington, MA February 23, 2006

Sheila of Fort Washington MA (02/23/06)

 On 10/4/2005 I drove my 2001 Lincoln Navigator to work at Children’s Hospital in Washington DC . I parked in the underground parking garage as I always do. A half hour later I returned to my vehicle to leave for a charity event and found firefighters, security officers and parking attendants surrounding my truck.
 

I was told that my vehicle had caught fire but luckily workers in the garage discovered the fire before the truck became fully engulfed or before any other vehicles became involved. However the truck was still a total loss.

 
I had received a recall notice in the mail 2 days before and had planned to take the truck in the following weekend as the recall notice didn't indicate any immediate danger or urgency. I'm just grateful that the fire was caught early and that no one was hurt. I can't even imagine the chaos and confusion that would have been caused if the vehicle had exploded in garage of a Children’s Hospital in the nation’s capital.

 
The Ford company has been anything but helpful - choosing instead to ignore the situation. No one has contacted me even though I informed them of the fire and the fact that the insurance inspector determined the cause of the fire was the recalled cruise control switch.

 
The insurance company waited months before settling the claim to give Ford the opportunity to inspect the vehicle, which they never did. In the meantime I had to pay out of pocket to rent a car since I didn't have rental coverage. The insurance company finally paid off the book value of the vehicle (which was significantly less than what we owed) as we has just purchased the truck a few months before.

 
Something needs to be done, a class action suit or something. The Ford company should not be allowed to ignore their responsibility in this matter. My opinion of Ford has completely changed. I will never buy another Ford product if they don't redeem their good reputation.

Karin of Tucson, AZ February 22, 2006

Karin  of Tucson AZ (02/22/06)
My 1985 F 250 4X4 lost the cruise control in December 2002 suddenly while driving down I-15 through Utah.

On March 31, 2003 the engine caught on fire in Saguaro National Park West, destroying everything under the hood, but thanks to the wonderful guy driving behind me who had an auto fire extinguisher, it was eventually put out.

The insurance company refused to do anything because they said it wad Ford's fault. Ford refused to do anything because the truck was too old. I ending up paying $5,200 to have the engine, AC, and everything else under the hood replaced.

The cruise control now works! I have been told that there is nothing I can do!

Laureen of Red Bluff, CA February 22, 2006

Laureen Holden of Red Bluff CA (02/22/06)
On October 30th last year I came home after being gone most the day to find that my 1996 Ford F-150 truck had caught on fire.  The truck was parked and not running. The cab was burned completely.

My neighbors had seen the smoke and ran down the hill to try to put the fire out as it was right next to my home and my propane tank. They were unable to save the truck. 

After looking into the cause of why this had happened I found that this truck had a recall on it that Ii was never informed of by the Ford Company.

I did report the fire to ford and to my insurance company. 

Ford kept passing the buck down until I came to someone who ultmately made the decision to say they would not help me out as the truck was too badly burned to know how the fire had started. The insurance company said that because there was a recall on this truck that they would not cover it.

The fire department did make a report saying that is was some type of wiring fault.  After a lot of research on what these trucks do as a result of the recall if not fixed points to just what happened to my truck.  This truck was my late husband's and it was very clean and cared for. The truck was hardly driven in the last 5 years.  I have been going out of my mind trying to go through all the channels to get some help and answers on how to handle this matter with nothing but dead ends.

I am asking for any input that you might have to direct me in the right direction please.

Deborah of Cocoa, FL February 21, 2006

Deborah  of Cocoa FL (02/21/06)
I have contacted Ford Consumer Affairs before and reported my claim of F-250 pickup catching on fire. It has been over a year now and the recall has been specified for the F-250 that I own. I have taken the truck to the local dealer to get an estimate of the damage and to no avail.  The Ford dealership said who is going to pay for the estimate? It has been such a run-a-round I do not know where to go from here. It is going back and forth like a see-saw. I bought the truck in good faith and took care of it..

Mehdi of Danville, CA February 14, 2006

Mehdi Rezazadeh of Danville CA (02/14/06)
The 1997 F 150 parked for 3 days in my driveway caught fire. Tomorow I will call NHTSA and Ford. I think it was the cruise control heating up when parked.  Thanks god it was parked in my gated driveway and not inside my house.

Mehdi of Danville, CA February 14, 2006

Mehdi of Danville CA (02/14/06)
The 1997 F 150 parked for 3 days in my driveway caught fire. Tomorow I will call NHTSB and Ford, I think it was the cruise control heating up when parked.

David of San Antonio, TX February 10, 2006

David of San Antonio TX (02/10/06)
On Jan. 10 at 2:00 a.m., my son awoke us to tell me our 2000 Ford F-150 was on fire.  We called the fire department and used a hose til they arrived. My truck was a total loss.  It was my business truck.  My tools are in the back yard and I have not worked in a month.  No answer from Ford.

My truck is still parked in front of my door at home, 12 feet away.  Thank God, our house did not burn.  My bank account is empty and my payments are behind on the truck.  I cannot even focus somedays.  it is always the little guy that gets the ... you know what.

Lee of Chapel Hill, NC February 9, 2006

Lee of Chapel Hill NC (02/09/06)
The same cruise control/brake switch part failure causing fires in F-150 trucks is used on 95 Windstars. I experienced a fire in the connection from corrossion and leaking within the switch. There were no indications that a dangerous fire causing leak was occuring. There was no leaking brake fluid anywhere. Fortunately, due to wet weather and cold temperatures the fire was contained to the switch plug and wires. Had the failure occured in summer rather than February, we would have lost the vehicle to a fire, perhaps while driving at highway speed.

I went to the local dealer and informed them what happened and requested the warranty for F-150 models be used to cover this obvious failure. The customer Rep at the Dealer (Univeristy Ford) was very helpful and called the local (Atlanta, GA) area Ford Rep who declined the request. The danger here is that there are thousands of 95 Windstars transporting children and driven by unsuspecting Moms and Dads that are at risk of death from the fire that will erupt due to these failing switches.  Rather than limiting to certain models, Ford should be replacing these switches in every model that used the switch.

Ivan of Liberty, KS February 6, 2006

Ivan of Liberty KS (02/06/06)
I own a 1996 Ford F150. On 12-06-05 about 7:45pm my wife heard an explosion and looked outside our home to see our Ford truck on fire and called 911. We called Ford and sent pics. of our Ford F150. Ford replied after looking at pics. said the pick-up was burnt to bad they would not be able to tell where fire started. I also have a copy of fire report. It stated: "upon arrival we found a ford pick-up with the engine comp. fully enveloped in fire with the cab suffering extreme heat and smoke damage".

Also: "the fire had been very intense on the left side of the engine, heat from the vehicle also did damage to another vehicle parked near it". I later found out about the faulty  cruise control switch.

Mary of Liberty Hill, TX February 2, 2006

Mary of Liberty Hill TX (02/02/06)
On Saturday, January 14, 2006, the 1997 Ford F-150 parked in the driveway caught fire. No one in the house was aware of the fire, and a passing bicyclist came running in the house shouting that a truck was on fire in the driveway. The fire was extinguished with the garden hose, but not before it did damage to the new 2006 (3 week new) vehicle sitting next to it.

It also melted the vinyl siding on the house, which is only 4 years old. Shortly after the fire was out, the fire department got there and put out any remaining smoke. They also went inside the house looking for heat that may have been inside the walls, since the truck was parked less than 10 feet from the house, and it did damage to the exterior.

Linda of Newnan, GA February 2, 2006

Linda of Newnan GA (02/02/06)
My 2003 F-150 caught fire in my driveway on Tuesday 1/31/06 at approx. 7:45pm. It is totally destroyed. I am waiting for my insurance claim adjuster to contact me. Is there anything more I can do. I contacted my Ford dealership and there were no recalls on my car. Any help is greatly appreciated. My truck was only 2 1/2 years old and I owe 14,500.00 on it.  It is totally destroyed and a melted mess sitting in my driveway. Is FORD doing anything to help all of the people that their truck catch on fire?

Steve of Hilton Head Island, SC February 2, 2006

Steve of Hilton Head Island SC (02/02/06)
On January 26, 2006 at 3am in 33-degree weather our 1998 Ford Explorer exploded in flames causing my 1994 Buick Century to go up in flames. Both cars were in the driveway for 15 hours due to our family having a stomach flu and not leaving the house for anything. The fire investigator ruled the fire as "unknown causes" although he states that the fire started in the engine of the Explorer and no arson or foul play was involved. Both cars were totalled.

Sue of Greenville, NC January 30, 2006

Sue of Greenville NC (01/30/06)
It seems awful odd how Ford can recall a part on nearly 1 million vehicles for a definate fire hazard, but just because I purchased the vehicle that only sells approx. 5000 a year (Excursion) they will not recall it. It is the same part number and everything, that is in the Pick-up trucks. My vehicle was very close to having a major & Dangerous fire last Friday. The only thing that saved us, was a slight burning smell prior to us leaving the parking lot. FORD MUST CLEAN UP THE ACT.

Johnny of Easley, SC January 24, 2006

Johnny of Easley SC (01/24/06)
we came back from a concert on Saturday Jan 21 and parked our 1998 Ford Explorer in the driveway. We were back home at about 11pm. On Sunday Jan 22 we were awakened at 8:30 am by a banging on our front door. It was the fire dept. Guess what? The Explorer was ablaze. It had been sitting for 9 hours.

Brad of Goodlettsville, TN January 24, 2006

Brad of Goodlettsville TN (01/24/06)
3:00 AM my wife woke up to the sound of my F-350 tire exploding and my truck being engulfed in flames. Fire marshall could not give any reasons because of the extent of the damage. Truck had been sitting still and not running for 9 hours.

Brad of Parrish, AL January 5, 2006

Brad of Parrish AL (01/05/06)
My 98 explorer had been in my driveway for about five hours since last being driven. I heard a noise, went outside and it was in flames from under the hood. The fire started just infront of the brake master cylinder. It is a total loss.

Josh of Corona, CA December 20, 2005

Josh of Corona CA (12/20/05)
The truck was parked in the driveway @ 7:30 pm. Around 12:15 am, My wife heard a loud popping noise and what sounded like a banging type crash. She thought a car had crashed out in front of the house, so she looked out the window and saw the truck with flames coming out from under the hood. We called the fire dept. and sprayed water on our eaves until they arrived. I will need to replace the eaves above the garage, garage doors, several items in the garage that melted or burned as well as work tools and all personel items from the truck. I will also have to re-paint my house due to the fire and smoke from the truck going across the front of my house above the garage.

The fire investigator reports that the fire started under the hood. I contacted the Ford dealer where I have purchased 5 trucks in the past year! When asked about recalls or if this was covered under warranty due to the year of the truck and where the fire started, they responded that there is NO recall, and they would not cover anything under warranty???? This is actually the second Ford truck in about six months that I have had catch fire????? The first was an F-350 that I used as one of my work trucks. That fire actually stared while the truck was being driven back to my shop from a job. The fire dept. stated the fire had also started under the hood in the engine compartment.

I had no idea that there were any issues with Ford trucks and fires. Had I known, I would have never turned the first truck into my insurance carrier without raising questions regarding possible faulty parts as a cause of damage.

Anthony of Rochester, NY December 15, 2005

Anthony of Rochester NY (12/15/05)
We have a Ford Explorer and my daughter came home from Nazareth College on Wdnesday, December 14, 2005, around 1:00pm. I was on vacation from work, so I was home. We had lunch and began wrapping Christmas presents,when I heard a puff sound around 2:45pm. I looked outside to find that the Ford Explorer was on fire.

The car had been sitting, unattained for an hour and a half in our driveway. Shocked at what happened, we went on the internet to find that this is a known accurance that Ford has documentation of. Other customers had the same incident happen to them with unattended Ford SUV's. We would like to know what to do.

Troy of Pascagoula, MS December 5, 2005

Troy of Pascagoula MS (12/05/05)
My 1997 Ford F-150  caught on fire in my front yard.  My family and I were out of town that weekend.  The fire started on the driver's side firewall under the hood.  It destroyed the truck, needless to say.  The Fire Department evacuated our street in case the fire reached the fuel tank.  Luckily, the truck was not that close to the house.

We had just paid off that truck and had just dropped the full coverage, leaving only liability.  We contacted Ford and received a letter from them, basically starting there were no recalls on the vehicle and it was not their problem.  I don't understand how a huge company like Ford can make vehicles that catch on fire and burn to nothing and have no liability whatsoever.

Randy of Diboll TX (2/13/05):
I bought a 2000 Ford F-150 in 2000. It was the best truck I have ever had. In November 2003 I had parked my truck in front of a friend's house and went inside. About 2 hours later I heard a lot of noise coming from outside, only to find out it was my truck on fire. I was going through a divorce at the time and I had three of my guns and ammo in the truck. The noise that i was hearing was the shells that I had in the truck.

The house I was at was a long way out of town. By the time the fire dept. got there it was too late. The truck was totaled. There was damage to the house, my four-wheeler and another vehicle parked beside my truck. I also lost three guns and amoo, some clothes and my divorce papers.

Haydee of Pembroke Pines FL (3/16/05):
On Wed. March 2, 2005 our 2001 F-150 caught fire in the school parking lot where my husband was taking a class in Ft Lauderdale. The truck was about 90% burned. the whole front was gone including the tires. Our insurance is willing to going forward with our claim which should cover the only their book value on the truck. We also have contacted FORD and everytime we call they say that someone will get back to us.

IT IS A TOTAL disappointment and shame of FORD for not being more sensitive to consumers that at one point have faith in them.

Sifang of Miami FL (3/12/05):
It is a nightmare for my wife and me that our two cars were entirely destroyed at the same time. On Feb, 11 this year, my wife's 2003 Ford F150 caught fire and my Sienna XLE parked nearby was burned. Although the fire station is 200 yards away, when the fire trucks got there, the truck was already like a pile of crumbled metal. The firemen and police said the fire started from under front hood of driver side.

The truck is my wife's mobile office. She put all business documents in truck. Also all contractor instruments, camera with un-saved photos, cash, personal property turned into ash. She was crying and suffering from watching thr fire swallow our two cars.

Douglas of Stafford VA (3/6/05):
Approximately 1 hour after parking my 1996 Ford F-150 XLT 4x4 extended cab pick-up at work, I was notified that a vehichle was on fire in the parking lot. The fire dept was dispatched and already had the fire extinguished by the time I got out there. When I parked the truck that morning, there was nothing unusal when I left it. The Fire dept said that they thought it looked like an electrical fire. We only had liability insurance on the truck and therefore we were not compensated for our loss.

There was no way to salvage the truck. A salvage yard paid us $250.00 and towed the vehicle away. We were extensively involved with various scouting programs in our area and used the truck for all these events. It has not only caused us a financial hardship but an emotional one as well. This was our 2nd Ford F-150 and our family has always preferred to drive Fords.

Harold of El Cajon CA (3/1/05):
On 09-09-04 at 6:00 I drove my 1997 Ford f-150 to pick up a pizza. When I returned I parked my truck in the carport of my condo. At 7:15 i heard my neighbor screaming that my truck was on fire. I heard an explosion an ran to my patio to see my carport engulfed in flames. I used my garden hose for about 30 seconds to no avail. Then ran back into the house to make sure my son an grandchildern were out.

I proceeded to get what pictures and valuables i could from the condo. My truck and my son's Volvo were burned to the ground. One half of the condo was destroyed. Over $100,000 to repair. Our family has been displaced for seven months and the condo still isn`t finished. I`m still making mortgage and homeowners payments. It`s about time Ford acknowledges the problem.

Craig of Sugar Land TX (1/29/05):
On July 19, 2004 our 2000 Ford F-150 caught on fire in our driveway after it had been parked for more than a hour. The neighbors saw it throught their kitchen window and alerted us. Luckily the house did not catch fire. It was a complete loss; the fire started under the hood on the drivers side.

Linda of Charlotte NC (1/28/05):
In April 2004 my son awoke at 4 a.m. to a glow in his front driveway. The 2000 F-150 pickup truck I helped him buy (it was in my name) was ablaze. By the time he reached it, the engine and driver's side interior were totally destroyed. I have pictures. I called Ford motor Co and tried to get information and they referred me to my Insurance co. We only had the legal limits of insurance so it was a total loss. I believe Ford knew of this problem in 2004 when I talked to them and would not acknowledge it. As it turns out, many insurance companies would not have covered a factory defect anyway. Finally I heard today that Ford was recalling F150 for fires. Maybe there's a chance.

My son has no transportation and in construction a truck is almost essential.

Denis of Ventura CA (1/28/05):
On December 3rd 2004 my 1995 Ford F-150 truck was backed out of the driveway to let another vehicle out. It was then pulled back in and parked. A few minutes later the neighbor called and said the truck was on fire. My wife, 2 kids and my mother were the only ones home. They called the fire dept. It took a few minutes for them to get there. By that time the truck was fully engulfed in flames. They put the fire out and said it was probably something electrical. The truck is completely destroyed.

We only had liability insurnace on it, so we have recieved no compensation for it. My wife called Ford customer service but they said there was nothing they could do. We filed a report with NHTSA and emailed pictures of the truck. Someone needs to pay for this and replace our truck. Just because there's been no loss of life or injury doesn't make it okay. Ford should take full responsibility. Even though this is not a 2000 truck, it obviously had the same problem and should be covered by the recall.

We have lost our truck and many belongings that were inside and some things that were near the truck in the driveway, including a taillight melted on one vehicle and front turn signal light on another that were parked near the truck.

Stephanie of Seattle (1/28/05):
My roommate was driving me to the airport. We got 2 blocks and smoke started coming out of the hood. We pulled over to see what was wrong, and the cruise speed control was smoking. We turned around to park it in our driveway. I popped the hood to look again, and the smoking stopped. I called a friend to give me a ride in her car. I flew to Kansas City and called my roommate to tell her I made it ok. She told me that 2 hours after I left my truck caught on fire. The flames were 5 feet high. The fire department came out to battle the blaze. My truck is completely destroyed except the bed. My insurance won't cover it.

That truck was completely paid for. I filed bankruptcy a couple years ago, so I can't get a loan. I live paycheck to paycheck. My job is about a 20-minute drive from my house. I have no idea how to get through this. I needed that truck!

Michael of Maryland Heights MO (1/28/05):
My 95 Ford f-150 went up in flames inside the engine compartment. my cruise control wouldn't work and then it did. my brake lights were not working for some reason. It sat for three hours before it burst into flames. I paid $3000 for it. I only had liability so it was a total loss for me.

Chris of Somerset KY (1/16/05):
Jan. 15 2005 - 1997 F-150 goes up in flames. My dad just purchased it a month and a half ago. I drove it for 10-15 mins and parked it at a friend's house and less then 5 mins. later my friend notices a fire outside. I looked outside only to see our f-150 engine compartment in flames. There was a hole burnt through the hood about 2 feet by 2 feet with flames coming out 4 feet into the air. At this time I had them call 911 to get a fire truck there. We ran out and grabbed the water hose and buckets of water and tried to put out the fire. Another 2 mins. go by and the hood, grill, lights, tires and everything else on the front of the truck had been destroyed.

We continued trying to put out the fire for another 15-20 mins before the fire department arrived but by this time everything had been destroyed. This fire burned so hot it melted the intake manifold, head covers and many other metal parts. All wiring anything plastic or rubber, winsheild, dash, headliner, seats had been destroyed.

Wayne of McDonough GA (1/3/05):
My 2000 F150 exploded into flames parked in front of my in-laws' home. Truck had history of minor problems -- broken transmission mount at 60k, repaired under warranty, all scheduled maintenance done at dealer. Other problems were trim-related. The spare tire carrier cable broke at 50k. So as you can see all in all a fairly dependable truck however in October the cruise quit working; did not worry about this as we did not use it except for long trips.

Then on Dec. 31, truck burst into flames after being parked and cold for nearly 3 hours, started under hood driver side front, truck totally destroyed except for the bed. All items inside -- irreplaceable photographs of children and passed-away relatives not to mention other personal articles that can be replaced.

Joseph of Hasbrouck Heights NJ (12/23/04):
I believe my vehicle is part of an ongoing investigation on 2000 Ford trucks. My truck went up in flames after being parked for more than 12 hours.

Michelle of Winter Haven FL (12/3/04):
In 2000, I purchased a new F-150 truck from Jarrett Ford. We only live aproximately 3 miles from work, so as of June of this year, it had we think 52,000 miles. We parked our truck at 5:30 Monday afternoon, and 13 hours later, while off, it burnt to the ground.

Our neighbor heard a popping sound and called the fire department and took pictures. We have called, written, e-mailed, Ford Motor, Jarrett, consumer agencies, anyone, but because no one was killed or injured, on one is interested. What if the vehicle had been parked in our garage? There is no explanation for a vehicle to self-combust.

We are self-employed, and we have not got the resources to replace that vehicle. Unfortunately, we had let our insurance lapse because of finances. And we definately cannot afford a vehicle after the hurricanes. Ford needs to take responsibility on this, but they do not care.

Lloyd of Chula Vista CA (11/30/04):
On or about 11/08/2004 my son drove my 2000 Ford F150 to his work at about 6.00 p.m. and parked it. At approximately 9.00 p.m. he was notified by a customer that a vehicle was on fire in the parking lot, it was my truck. It some how burst into flames after been parked for three hours. My son stated that he ran up to the truck to see fire coming out of the left front wheel well, not too long after it burnt through the fiber glass hood. I am out of a truck and now faced with trying to buy another vehicle.

The vehicle is a total loss and it was totalled by the insurance company. I am sure my premium is going to go up. The bank will pay most of the lease balance off but I am stuck with a residual balance, plus trying to find another vehicle along with a down payment. Does Ford know of this problem?

Charles of Tiki Island TX (11/30/04):
My 1997 Ford XLT Lariat pickup after being turned off for several hours while parked under my home in Tiki Island (home built up on pilings) caught fire and totally destroyed my home and all me and my wife Brenda owned. Killed one dog but my Labrador Sarah was able to leap over our deck railing and down 20 feet into a canal saving her life. Thank God we were not at home when the fired occurred or I would not be able to write this letter.

The fire occurred in May 2002 and Ford has denied any liability. We have expert testimony that the fire started in the Cruise Control Deactivation Switch, even eyewitnesses. These fires are occurring in many Ford Motor Co. vehicles not just pickups. These brake decks have been used since 1992 in many Ford vehicles including Lincolns., Mercurys, SUV's etc.

I am due to go to court in April 2005. Wish me luck, Ford could care less. We seem unable to get any coverage in local newpapers or news stations to make people aware of this problem. I guess Ford does spend lots of money advertising with the papers or stations so they do not want to go against Ford.

Insurance (Allstate) paid full amount of coverage on building, truck, and contents. Ov course did not cover the cost of rebuilding. Can prove $75,000 spent over coverage plus intangables. Ford did settle with Allstate. What about deceptive trade practice? Ford has known about the fault for years.

Mike of Austin TX (10/7/04):
I was driving my 1997 Ford 150 Supercab for about 5 minutes when I smelled a burning odor. I turned off my air conditioner and rolled down the driver side window to see if the smell was outside the vehicle. That is when I noticed a white smoke coming out of the vents in front of the windshield.

I pulled the truck into a parking lot thinking a water hose had broken in the engine compartment. I opened the hood but could not see any steam coming out of the hoses. I then noticed smoke in the cab and opened the passenger side of the truck to see burning embers falling from behind the glove box on the carpet. I tried to put the embers out with a bottle of water. Suddenly there was the whooshing sound of a fire taking off and the cab was filed with black smoke.

I had removed the key but the starter tried to start and the horn went off. Both air bags were set off and the Ford 150 was completly destroyed in less than 10 minutes. All the glass melted, the hood and door handles diappeared, and the only thing remaining in the cab was the frame and springs of the seats.

Douglas of Sharpsburg GA (8/9/04):
My 1997 Ford F-150 Super Cab truck had an engine fire resulting in a total loss of the vehicle. I had been outside of my home talking to a friend on the phone only fifteen minutes before the fire and did not notice any smoke, noise nor smell coming from the truck. It had not been driven that day and only 20 yards or so the previous day. I had no idea of any electrical problems in that my truck had been very reliable up to that point.

Please do not park these trucks in your garage.

David of Gahanna OH (6/2/04):
My F-150 2000 limited edition Lariat caught on fire on June 2nd 2004 approx. 1am. Fire investigator ruled the fire accidental due to electrical short. Truck was bought new and well maintained and serviced on a regular basis using the best products. I'm just concerned if there is a larger problem because I happened to like the f-150 series as this was my 3rd.

Rita of Lutz FL (5/16/04):
My 2000 Ford Windstar caught on fire and burnt completely to the ground. Ford won't even return my phone calls. Attorneys don't want to take my case because there were no physical injuries.

Ryan of Cypress TX (5/13/04):
I am a Houston firefighter. I drove my 1997 Ford F-150 Lariat to the fire station that I work at, and arrived at 6:15 a.m. for my scheduled shift. I parked my truck in the fenced-in fire station parking lot. I work a 24-hr shift. Around 11:40 p.m. that night, I was awake and studying for a promotion exam when I heard a booming sound (like a car backfire). I sprung from my chair and looked out the back door of the fire station to see the front of my truck on fire.

I woke up the other members of the station and put on my fire gear. Myself and a co-worker put the fire out using our firetruck (pumper). The H.F.D. arson division was called out and did an investigation. Their findings showed that arson was not involved, and that the cause was probably electrical in nature.

I am awaiting the outcome from my insurance company, but believe that my truck will be a total loss. In which case, I will pay a $500 deductible, and my insurance company will make me an monetary offer to replace my truck. I think Ford should cover the expense, not my insurance company, but Ford's investigation department hasn't called my back since I reported the incident to them.

Timothy of Valrico FL (6/27/04):
I had my used 1997 Ford F150 truck for one year before it burst into flames because of a defect in the wiring area. (It is not for sure, this is an approximation from the fire chief.) He said he has seen this happen before. My wife had a miscarriage that day and we were home when it happened. Luckily, I did not have it parked in the garage or my house would be gone. A neighbor came banging on my door and told me the truck (that had not been on for at least 2 hours) had flames coming from under the hood and we needed to leave the house (we were parked close).

When we came out we saw the flames under the hood melting it, and the flames were spreading through the a/c vents into the cabin. The whole truck was gone in a matter of 2-3 minutes, it was a hoffific fire. Our insurance coved a fraction of it (which they should not be responsible for) But they did not cover gap, personal property, or anything like that. Gap insurance wouldnt cover it because there was no collision, and the warranty we purchased would not cover it because they claim "fire is an act of God" even though this was a manufacterer's problem.

Ford refuses to help with anything, even though we were not sent ANY recalls about anything. The bills were sent to the right house, but the recalls were sent to a very old address (that we didn't even live in when we filled in all purchasing information) and we never received them. If a lady can sue McDonalds for hot coffee in her lap, how come I cant attempt to recieve compensation for this? Every lawyer tells us we do not have a case.

We are stuck making a car payment for a car we don't have (we cant afford this!) We lost thousands of dollars in personal property that we were not compensated for. And my wife's medical state is not well because of stress and fear. She has had thrush, hives, jitters, etc because of the stress this has caused her. My wife had another miscarriage while trying to get to the bottom of this and has not been able to concieve since. She is terrified of fire and she is constantly having panic attacks about this. She is home alone at night and refuses to sleep in fear that the truck will catch fire. Neither of us will ever park in a garage connected to the house out of pure fear.

Editor's note: The woman suffered very severe burns in the McDonald's accident. Timothy was not injured and suffered only monetary loss. He can sue if he wants to but it will cost more than the case is worth.)

Denise of Crestwood IL (10/17/03):
My husband and I were returning home with our two-day old daughter. We rounded our corner to find fire trucks and police cars in front of our home and my husband's 1997 Ford F-150 singed in the front yard. The truck was parked in our yard because we were trying to sell it, so the damage could have been much worse if a neighbor hadn't seen the truck burning -- the fire had already spread to a tree in our yard.

The truck is useless, we lost the entire value of the truck since we were insuring it for liability only since we were selling it. The income from the F-150 sale was to pay off the note on our 2000 Ford Explorer. We have a 2003 F-150 that I am now terrified will also go up in flames. We have always been Ford owners, should we re-consider? I've seen qiute a bit of information on this site of similar situations.

Anthony of Great Bend PA (10/3/03):
New 2003 F250 Ford truck less than 60 days old caught fire on Sept. 1, 2003 at approx. 9:45 PM. Ford was contacted, investigated - stated it was their defect that caused the fire. At no time was I offered a loaner. It is now Oct. 3, 2003. Ford says they will replace the vehicle. I said okay. Now they say they cannot find a replacement vehicle with the same options at the same MSRP. They stated the closest they can come is within $800.00 more than my MSRP and that I will have to pay the difference.

I did not cause or want the fire - it is not my fault they cannot find a repalcement vehicle at the same MSRP. This whole thing is not my fault!

George of Bonner Springs KS (9/11/03):
We had our 1995 F150 repaired on July 7, 2003 - it had problems with the tail lights and the ignition switch. They replaced fuse 13 with a 15-amp fuse for $198 and sent it home. On July 18, 2003 we took the vehicle back for the same problems - they now replaced fuse 13 with a 20-amp fuse and sent it home. There was no charge for this work. On August 22, 2003, we parked the truck in our driveway (thank God) and about 2 hours later the neighbor called over to tell us the truck was on fire.

We called the dealership and they came out and looked at the truck - they were amazed at the damage. However, they came back and said they were not responsible for the fire. So we are out of luck and out of the truck. Now, we are hearing about many more Fords that have caught fire after they have been parked. Why doesn't Ford do something about this?

Total loss of the engine portion of the truck and some damage to the dash and interior. The fire department and my husband did a great job is saving the body and bed of the truck.

Jason of Corpus Christi TX (6/12/03):
It was an early Sunday afternoon for me, and me and my friends decided to go fishing. While on my day off, I get up to leave my house around 12 o'clock in my 2002 Ford F-150. My route of destination was about 25 minutes from my house. I'm driving toward my friends house when I begin to smell smoke, something I believed was coming from outside...so I thought nothing of it. Minutes later, while on the Highway, smoke begins to escape my air conditioning vents. Frantically I pull over to the side.

People are honking their horns and pointing to the bottom of my truck. I open my door and gentlemen driving by said I had a fire underneath my truck. I looked under my truck and sure enough there was a fire right underneath the bed of the truck, without hesitating, I moved clear of the vehicle knowing that the gas tank was near the fire. I immediately called 911. Within 5 minutes the inside of the truck was burned to a crisp. Nothing was salvageable, including my $2000 audio system I installed not even a year old.

Peggy of Rapid River MI (1/7/04):
Last night we plugged in the engine heater on our truck, this was the first time we had used the heater. In about 45 minutes we saw smoke and flames, running in the garage, we saw the whole engine was burning. We got our car out, and tried to extinguish the fire, we lost everything in the garage, thank God the house was saved. I did grab the extension cord the truck was plugged in with, and brought it out, it had not started from the cord, it was definately under the hood. My son had heard a pop sound just prior to us finding the fire, but didn't pay much attention to it.

Our truck, 4-way western plow, and a garage full of tools, sporting equipment, storage, household good, 10 cords of fire wood, and a 1,000 gallon propane tank, (full! it took 12 hours for that to burn out) plus 28 years of acquired "stuff" is gone, we suffered smoke inhalation, my new car has some damage to it. My husband is disabled and has had quite a setback after the stress he had.

Douglas of Columbia SC (7/9/02):
I purchased the car as a gift for my wife. After having the vehicle barely 3 years my wife drove it to work, parked it in a parking space and 7 hours later the vehicle burst into flames! Now we have no truck.

The blessing is it did not happen to my Baby on the highway on her way to work and kill her. I lost about $34,000 dollars I paid into it. In less than 5 minutes all that hard work, suffering, dealing with people who could kill me (I'm a police officer) our work goes up in flames!

Rob of Surrey, BC, Canada (4/4/03):
I had borrowed my brother's 1982 Ford F150 pickup truck to run some errends a while back. After filling in some gas the truck stalled while leaving the station. I pumped the pedal in hopes of the truck starting again when there was a loud pop from under the hood, that I took to be a backfire through the carb. Turned out not only was it that exactly but a whole lot more to boot!

When the truck did backfire the gas it sent through the carberator was on fire causing everything else around the area of the carb to burn also. Fried wires and bubbled paint on the hood were just a few of the damages along with a destroyed carb and air filter assembly it cost me over five hundred dollars to fix.

Curtis of Baytown, TX, writes:
On 05/03/00 I was driving my new 2000 Ford F-150. A friend and I had left a club and were following another friend home. It was about 2:00 in the morning. I approched a stop sign, slowed almost to a stop and then turned left. As I was accelerating away from the stop sign the truck jerked a little and then popped very loud and died.

When the truck popped we saw a bright flash. I immediately tried to start the truck again and while I was trying to start it I noticed smoke comming from around the hood so I pulled the hood release and ran and opened the hood and saw a fire. The fire was a very fast-burning fire similar to a cutting torch.

My friend Dennis said put the hood down so I did. I ran to the truck and grabbed my cell phone and called 911. I burned my hands, but not very bad. The truck had just recently turned over 2,000 miles and I had paid ahead two months on the note. And just as you might had guessed I financed it through Ford Motor Credit.

I lost everything in my truck and had to sit in the back of a cop car until the arson crew said it was not arson and now am without a vehicle that is paid for until the end of June. I contacted Ford Customer Service later that day and someone called me back on the 4th. They told me they were sorry and told me to pay the tow bill of $300 and pay to have it moved to the Ford dealership.

I told them that I should not have to pay to have it towed and she told me "not to throw a wrench in their procedure because it would only prolong the process." Well, I called my insurence company and they told me not to pay for anything that they would make a few phone calls and have it moved for me and they did!

Now it is Tuesday the ninth and the Ford Consumer Affairs Legal Division will not call me back, the customer service department will not transfer me or give me the phone number any more. The Ford inspecter was out to inspect the truck this morning and still no word. Ford will not even authorize a rental car for me and I do not have rental coverage on my insurance policy.

I just thought you would like to know that there is a 2000 Ford Taurus at the same dealership that only has 1,400 miles on it that burned also. The dealership, Tommie Vaughn Ford, here in Houston is very pleasent to work with. They are an A-1 dealership in my book, but the mother company is not communicating with me at all now.

Kim of Aromas, CA, writes:
I have a 1992 Ford F150 pickup that went up in flames about an hour after my husband drove it home from work and parked it. Thank God we did not park it in the garage like we normally do and we were lucky we were home when it started on fire since we live in a secluded, brushy area.

The insurance company wants us to sign over ownership of the truck to them without finding out what started the fire in the first place. The truck was very well maintained and we have lots of people who have come to us and told us they would testify to that fact. My maintenance records were in the truck, however we went back to the places we dealt with and got copies to send to the insurance company.

By the way the truck had a little over 80,000 miles on it. We were also told by several people that NBC with Tom Brokaw had a special on this same type of situation on his Fleecing of America program. We did not see the show. I ahve e-mailed them requsting more information. This could have been a major disaster if we had not been here when the truck caught fire.

Many homes and possibly lives could have been lost. The fire department here in Aromas said it looked like it started in the right side of the engine.

I'm not sure what I should do next. Do I sign away ownership of my pickup to the insurance company so they can do whatever they what, or should I pursue the manufacturer of the pickup?

Consequences: Total loss of my pickup with little money to replace my vehicle. Loss of property in the pickup that insurance won't replace.

Actually, the NBC program probably referred to the largest auto recall in history (see story). That involved flaming Fords, but the fires started in the steering column, not the engine.

Due to the age of Kim's vehicle, it would be difficult and expensive to bring a case against Ford. Her best option is probably to get the best settlement she can with the insurance company. Any additional losses are tax deductible.

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