Pennsylvania Ford drivers have a new cause for concern. The automobile company has added 4.5 million vehicles to an already extensive recall. With the newest addition Ford now has recalled over 14 million vehicles, some being a decade old because a faulty cruise control switch can cause a fire under the hood.
In February 2008 Ford began investigating its Windstar model after numerous reports surfaced of fires under the vehicles' hoods. The company discovered that a defective cruise control had an internal leak that could lead to a fire. Since that initial investigation Ford has recalled every model and vehicle with the defect which now stands at over 14 million and includes Ford, Lincoln, and Mercury vehicles from 1992 until 2003.
The faulty switches are manufactured by Texas Instruments and the internal leaking can cause the switch to overheat and ignite. There have also been reports from The National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration (NHTSA) that the leaking switch could spill onto the antilock brake control module and start a fire. Ford no longer uses the switch and stopped installing them into its vehicles in 2003. Even vehicles without cruise control are being recalled because they still contain the switches with brake fluid routed through them.
Until the owner can bring the defective vehicle to a dealer, Ford has advised that the vehicle be parked outside of their home. The dealer will install a harness that will prevent the brake fluid from flowing anywhere it could start a fire.
The following models are affected by the recall:
1995-2003 Ford Windstar
2000-2003 Ford Excursion Diesel
1993-1997 and 1999-2003 Ford F-Super Duty Diesel
1992-2003 Ford Econoline
1995-2002 Ford Explorer
1995-2002 Mercury Mountaineer
1995-1997 and 2001-2003 Ford Ranger
1994 Ford F35 Motorhome Vehicles
