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Error processing SSI fileFires prompt huge Ford recall
One of industry's largest recalls, 3.8 million trucks, comes as ailing automaker faces mounting lawsuits.
Related reports
Special report: Danger under the hood
Affected models:
• 1994-2002 F-150 pickup; 1997-2002 Ford Expedition; 1998-2002 Lincoln Navigator; 1994-1996 Ford Broncos
Previously recalled vehicles:
• 2000 F-150, Expedition and Navigator; some 2001 F-150 SuperCrew pickups.
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With reports of engine fires mounting, Ford Motor Co. is warning owners of 3.8 million pickups and SUVs to have their cruise-control switches disconnected as part of one of the biggest recalls in automotive history.
The automaker said Wednesday that it is recalling a wide range of 1994-2002 model-year vehicles -- including its top selling F-150 pickup -- to fix cruise-control switches allegedly linked to more than 1,100 engine fires.
The defective cruise-control switch has grown into one of the most costly and widespread automotive safety problems since the Firestone tire recall and comes as Ford struggles to turn around its U.S. operations.
Fires linked to the switches have destroyed homes in Texas, Florida, California and elsewhere. In addition, wrongful-death lawsuits have been filed against Ford and two of its suppliers alleging that defective switches caused fires that killed a 74-year-old Iowa woman and a 4-year-old girl in Georgia.
It's the fifth largest auto recall on record and follows a similar recall in January of 800,000 pickups and SUVs built in the 2000 model year.
While Ford won't have new parts for the 3.8 million affected vehicles available until October, the company is instructing customers to immediately have their cruise-control switches deactivated at Ford and Lincoln-Mercury dealerships.
"We are cautioning customers to get their switches disconnected now," said Ford spokeswoman Kristen Kinley.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened an investigation in March into reports of under-hood fires tied to overheating of cruise-control shut-off switches in Ford pickups and SUVs.
A NHTSA spokesman said Wednesday that 1,170 fires have been reported, and the agency is continuing its investigation regardless of Ford's recall announcement.
"The investigation will continue," said Rae Tyson of NHTSA. "We still need to determine the root cause of the problem."
Moreover, Tyson said NHTSA is monitoring more than 10 million additional Ford vehicles that use similar switches to deactivate cruise-control systems.
Blake Washington died in a fatal fire that swept through her family's rural home Jan. 1, 2004, in Kennesaw, Ga. In their lawsuit, her parents claimed that the fire started in a 2001-model Ford F-150 -- one of the vehicles included in the latest recall.
In a statement released by their attorney, Juan and Tanika Washington said Wednesday that the new recall may prevent more deaths from occurring.
"We hope the expanded recall will save lives," they said. "We hope that these companies will get all other vehicles with these dangerous parts off the road."
The recall came the same day consumer activist and former presidential candidate Ralph Nader wrote a letter to Ford Chairman and CEO Bill Ford, urging him to recall the affected vehicles. "How much longer will you allow this $20 part to imperil the public?" Nader wrote.
Ford said Wednesday that its internal investigation found that brake fluid could leak into the cruise-control switch, corroding its components and leading to overheating.
The company plans to install a special wiring harness to act as a circuit breaker on the electrical current in the system.
"Our customers can be confident that this action will prevent a speed control deactivation switch fire," said Ray Nevi, the assistant director of Ford's safety office.
However, Ford will not have wiring harnesses available until next month at the earliest.
"Until replacement parts are available, customers are instructed to take their vehicles to a Ford or Lincoln-Mercury dealership to have the speed control deactivated," the company said.
Dealers said Ford is reimbursing them about $50 per vehicle to fix the problem, which would put the cost of the recall at $190 million.
In most cases, the fires reported to NHTSA have occurred after the vehicle's engine has been turned off, sometimes hours later.
Numerous property-damage lawsuits have been filed against Ford in cases where homes burned to the ground. In the Blake Washington case, the family's home was destroyed by fire several hours after their F-150 pickup was parked in the garage.
One fire victim said Wednesday that the recall was long overdue.
"Ford has finally admitted it made a mistake," said Denise Harris, whose 1997-model Ford Expedition was destroyed in a July 2003 fire in Aberdeen, Miss. "It doesn't matter how big a company is. If you make a mistake, you have to own up to it."
Tyson of NHTSA said the agency supported Ford's call for owners to have switches disconnected immediately rather than wait for parts. "It's the safe thing to do until they can bring in adequate supplies of replacement parts," he said.
According to NHTSA documents, at least 10 million other Ford vehicles have similar switches as the recalled models.
While NHTSA is monitoring reports of fires in those vehicles, Ford said they have no evidence of further problems. "We do not believe those other vehicles are affected," Kinley said.
The massive recall comes at a particularly tough time for Ford, which is struggling with losses in U.S. market share this year and is facing an unspecified restructuring of its automotive operations.
One auto-safety advocate said Ford's decision to recall 3.8 million of its hot-selling pickups and SUVs is critical to the company's image in the marketplace.
"It's a good move," said Sean Kane of Safety Research and Strategies Inc., "but we still don't really have answers why these fires are happening in some vehicles and not others."
You can reach Bill Vlasic at (313) 222-2152 or bvlasic@detnews.com.
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