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Recalled Trucks Burn As Ford Fiddles

Massive Recall Moves Slowly as New Fires Break Out

By Joe Benton
ConsumerAffairs.com

February 3, 2006

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

Despite a massive recall announced in September, Ford trucks are continuing to catch fire and burn -- some of them covered by the recall, some not.

The September 2005 recall involved an estimated 3.8 million Ford trucks from the 1994-2002 model years; it included the Ford F-150 pickup as well as the Ford Expedition, Lincoln Navigator and Ford Bronco SUVs.

But the recall is moving slowly. Ford says replacement parts are not yet available. Meanwhile, trucks continue to burst into flames and -- in many cases -- Ford representatives stonewall the affected consumers despite the recall, according to reports filed with ConsumerAffairs.com.

Adding fuel to the flames, recent fires suggest additional Ford trucks are afflicted by the flaw that led to Ford's reluctant and long-delayed recall.

Melted Mess

Linda of Newman, Georgia, lost her 2003 F-150 to fire January 31. "It is destroyed. I am waiting for my insurance claim adjuster to contact me," she wrote. Linda called her Ford dealership and was told there are no recalls for her F-150. The recall does not cover 2003 models.

"My truck was only two and a half years old and I still owe $14,500 for it," she told ConsumerAffairs.com. "It is destroyed and a melted mess sitting in my driveway."

Linda wants to know if Ford is going to do anything to help. So far the answer to Linda is the same as that given to millions of other truck owners -- no. Ford stubbornly resisted recalling the trucks and gave in only after several people died in related fires and the resulting publicity put pressure on regulators.

Ford has now reluctantly recalled 3.8 million vehicles to fix a cruise control flaw identified as a possible cause of the fires.

Hilton Head Inferno

Steve's Ford truck sat in his Hilton Head, South Carolina, driveway on a cold January morning. "At 3 a.m. in 33-degree weather our 1998 Ford Explorer exploded in flames causing my 1994 Buick Century to go up in flames as well," he wrote ConsumerAffairs.com.

"The fire investigator ruled the fire a result of 'unknown causes' although he states that the fire started in the engine of the Explorer and no arson or foul play was involved," Steve wrote.

Steve has complained to Ford, but so far has not received an answer.

Vinyl Siding Meltdown in Texas

Mary of Liberty Hill, Texas, is lucky. Her 1997 Ford F-150 caught fire but the blaze was put out before the fire could consume her house.

"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," Mary wrote.

Luckily the fire was extinguished with a garden hose but the flames damaged a three-week old car also in the driveway. "The fire also melted the vinyl siding on the house, which is only 4 years old," Mary told ConsumerAffairs.com.

Mary's 1997 F-150 is covered by the Ford recall. Ford however, is delaying repairing the potential fire hazard in the cruise control system of Mary's truck and 3.8 million more pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles because replacement parts are not yet available.

Mary's automobile insurance is paying for the value of the truck, and is paying to repair the damage to the new car. However, both vehicles are separate claims, and each claim has a $500 deductible. So Mary is out $1,000 thanks to her Ford F-150 fire.

Her house is another matter. "The insurance does not cover the damage to the house, and a claim will not be filed for that damage, because the repair cost is so close to the amount of the deductible," she said.

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