Ford Recalls 4.5 Million Vehicles Over Defective Cruise Control Switch

DETROIT -- Ford Motor Co. said Tuesday it will add 4.5 million older-model vehicles to the long list of those recalled because a defective cruise control switch could cause a fire.

The latest voluntary action pushes Ford's total recall due to faulty switches to 14.3 million registered vehicles over 10 years, capping the company's largest cumulative recall in history involving a single problem.

The recall covers 1.1 million Ford Windstar minivans that had a small risk of fire due to internal leaking from the switches. Ford said in a letter to federal regulators that it found a small number of reported fires linked to the problem during an internal investigation that began last year, but did not specify how many.

The remaining 3.4 million vehicles are Ford, Lincoln and Mercury models. Ford said there were no reports of fires with those models, most of them trucks and sport utility vehicles, but that they were included in the recall because they use the same switches. All vehicles covered by the recall are from the 1992 to 2003 model years.

Ford advised owners of all vehicles covered by the recall to park them outside until they are mailed instructions by the end of the month on how to get repairs.

The Dearborn, Mich.-based automaker has struggled for a decade with the problem, which has prompted hundreds of complaints and dozens of lawsuits over fires allegedly caused by faulty switches. A small number of injuries have also been linked to the problem, though none were reported in the latest recall. Previous recalls included some of Ford's most popular brands, like the popular F-series of pickup trucks.

Ford began an investigation of Windstar vehicles in February 2008 after receiving a growing number of reports of fires under the vehicles' hoods, according to a letter the company sent to the National Highway Transportation Safety Agency late last week announcing the recall. In June 2008, NHTSA began its own probe of the problem.

Investigators found that the switches, made by Texas Instruments, could leak internally, overheat and potentially ignite. NHTSA also identified four reports of leaking fluid damaging the antilock brake control module, resulting in a fire. The module is charged with electrical current and can ignite the fluid in rare cases, said Ford spokesman Wes Sherwood.

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Even some vehicles without cruise control are part of the recall because they still have the switches with brake fluid routed through them. To repair the problem, dealers will install a harness to help prevent the fluid from flowing anywhere it could be ignited.

Ford stopped using the Texas Instruments switch in 2003, according to Sherwood. The latest group of vehicles recalled is the last batch still on the road that had the switch installed.

Texas Instruments said in a statement that it manufactured a switch "to meet and exceed Ford's specifications" and that it is only one component of Ford's cruise control deactivation system. The company cited a 2006 NHTSA investigation that found multiple factors were to blame for fires. Texas Instruments no longer owns the division that made the switches.

NHTSA spokesman Rae Tyson said Ford "is to be commended for stepping forward to resolve this issue."

The recall covers the following model years: 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; and 1994 Ford F35 Motorhome vehicles.

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AP Business Writer Stephen Manning reported from Washington.

Comments

[justins79]

I recall another Ford recall regarding their faulty cruise control design that was also causing fires. As it turns out they were maintaining full 12v power to the unit under the hood even when the vehicle was shut off. This created an opportunity for a short-circuit due to leaking fluid that would cause a fire. A rancher in our area encountered that problem when he truck wouldn't start. He was out in a pasture a few miles from home. He ended up walking out to get another truck and tools. When he came back the pasture was ablaze. The source of the blaze was his pickup. Yeah Ford.

[plages]

Let's all really think about going back, and starting all over again, from education, health care, rule of law, invading other countries for fun and profit, the constitution, corporate farming, prisons, water, and oh yea, GREED!

[gotborked]

"Ford advised owners of all vehicles covered by the recall to park them outside until they are mailed instructions by the end of the month on how to get repairs."

How does this work? Are they going to use satellite imagery or something to identify who has the cars or what?

[Mariosright]

I don't quite understand this recall. I have two Ford Explorers and I was notified of the speed control defect 3 or 4 years ago.They were repaired at no charge at the local dealership shortly thereafter.

[blacksmithn]

While somewhat commendable that they're doing this "voluntarily" (I'm sure the multiple lawsuits had nothing whatsoever to do with it...), it has to be noted that the models with this defective part date all the way back to 1994. So, what was Ford doing about the problem for 15 years prior to finally issuing the recall?

Sure , they accept responsibility now, but where have they been for a decade and a half?

[pat8942]

At least they did the recall voluntarily, instead of trying to cover it up like Toyota does.

[MajorKong]

Detroit knows how to design a good car. Unfortunately the corporate bean counters get hold of it and start cutting corners. By the time they're done you have a car full of cheap bits.

[jsarets]

Yeah, like when the new Mustang came out, and it was a laughingstock because it had a live-axle rear suspension and could hardly go around corners without smoking its tires.

It was thousands of dollars cheaper than competing muscle cars, and when people started asking them why in the world didn't they give it an independent suspension like everybody else in the civilized world, they said that it would have added $5000 to the price.

The bean counters didn't produce a better value, they just produced a crappier car.

[b1986]

Wow, the picture for this article is creepy. That van is identical to my mothers and that drive looks just like mine. Hmm... I'll have to look out for Huffpost photographers because this could seriously have been taken in my driveway. The trees look exactly the same too. Weird.

[kurtvb]

Although Ford designed the specifications for the switch, they did not manufacture it. Texas Instruments and it's successor should be partly responsible for the cost of the recall along with Ford. if we hold all of the responsible parties liable, not just the final assembler (Ford), there will be fewer defects in products regardless of where they are manufactured.

[Beka13]

My 1997 Escort almost killed me....I was driving down 95 from Central Forida in no mans land when my passanger airbag caught on fire...Thank gawd I had a big gulp becuase I had to keep pouring soda on it for about 30 miles. Then to add insult to injury it wasnt a recall and they wanted me to give them $1000 to fix it. i told them to shove it and It became a recall 3 months later...There is a reason that Ford stands for FOUND ON ROAD DEAD....Thankfully I wasnt another corporate murder statistitic.

[wadenelson1]

I hope you sued them for a replacement Big Gulp. + Attorney costs.

[mick7191]

Switches made in China, I'll wager.

[traveler501]

any chance this will change their minds about sourcing cheapie parts? I doubt it.

[bioluminescence]

The relevant Ford story is the one buried beneath it. Ford will build a third assembly plant in China at a cost of $490 million. Funny, we thought the Detroit bailout had something to do with protecting jobs in America.

[Chuck849]

Ford didn't take the money

[timhere]

I didn't realize ford had autos from 1992 to 2003 still on the road.

[GoDogGo]

The comments here are painfully ignorant: Recalls are widespread nowadays and not unique to domestics at all. Unless you've been hiding under a rock, Toyota and Honda have each had massive recalls, along with nearly every other brand. It's the nature of increasingly complex machinery.

I've got no interest in their success but Ford is about to finally launch a succession of products from Europe. Over there, they are up with BMW in quality and sophistication. It looks like the promise of good cars is *finally* going to be fulfilled soon.

[TheArtisan]

Ford will never achieve the "quality and sophistication" of any automobile made by BMW.

[jsarets]

Maybe not the sophistication, but quality is mixed.

In 2008, BMW issued a recall for the 1 Series and 3 Series due to glitches with side airbags and seat belt tensioners. In 2009, BMW recalled the X5 and X6 because the rear brake discs were improperly manufactured and could fail catastrophically.