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Ford Fires Kill Pets and Spread Despair as Year Ends

Virginia, Florida fires mar holidays for Ford owners

By Joe Benton
ConsumerAffairs.com

December 30, 2007

In the latest incident reported to ConsumerAffairs.com, a Beaverdam, Virginia home erupted into flames a week before Christmas following a fire that began in the garage attached to the house.

Two family cats perished in the fire and a third was badly burned and is still recovering at an animal hospital. A child was injured by the smoke that filled the house and most of the home's contents were burned and the structure was destroyed.

Fortunately, Janet, the homeowner, was awakened at 1 a.m. by the smell of smoke.

The cause of the fire? Janet says it was the 2002 Mazda Tribute that was parked in the garage.

The Tribute was recalled in May 2007 because of a faulty ABS system. The ABS “module may overheat resulting in burning odor, smoke or fire,” according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) recall notice.

The Tribute is similar to the Ford Escape. Both small SUVs went on sale in 2001 and share many parts in common. The main difference between the Tribute and the Ford Escape is that the Tribute's suspension is tuned for a firmer ride than the Escape.

11 million

But as the piecework recalls trickle out from NHTSA, Fords keep burning, sometimes destroying homes like Janet’s.

When consumers contact Ford, the company denies any responsibility and tells its customers to call their insurance company.

Federal regulators at NHTSA have repeatedly closed the books on Ford fires, declaring their mission accomplished.

That's not much comfort to Janet, who lost her home and most of its contents.

"The firemen got a few things out but we're not sure how much can be salvaged. We had 3 cats. One escaped but is burned and still at the vets’. The other 2 perished in the fire. We lost the Mazda and our second car suffered paint damage and smells of smoke. My daughter had some minor problems with her eyelids due to the smoke. We lost so many things of sentimental value, it would be impossible to place a value on them,” she wrote ConsumerAffairs.com.

Florida fire

Earlier in December in Plant City, Florida, a woman and her two dogs barely escaped a fiery death when flames raced through her home.

Debbie and Michael told ConusmerAffairs.Com that their 2000 Ford Expedition SUV parked in the driveway exploded into flames burning the nearby garage all the way through the attic.

"I don't even know what's left in there," Debbie said. Fortunately, her two dogs Max and Roy escaped the fire as well.

The red 2000 Ford Expedition caught fire without anyone around about 8:50 in the morning, according to the local fire department.

The 2000 Ford Expedition was recalled in 2005 because as part of the infamous and massive speed control deactivation switch recall.

Shortly after the first recall, owners were notified that an interim repair would be required because Ford did not have sufficient parts to complete the recall.

In a letter dated September 12, 2005, Expedition owners were finally told that Ford would have the parts to begin repairing the recalled trucks in February 2006.

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