Complain about a product or service

Ford Fires

Flaming Fords • 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

As the reports in these pages reveal, various Ford models are prone to ignite while parked, hours after being driven. Most fires start on the left front side of the engine compartment.

Fortunately, many of the fires occur when the vehicles are parked outside, but this is not always the case, as the following complaint reminds us.

"L" of Murfreesoro TN (7/21/03):
My parents died in a fire caused by a Ford 10 years ago. The point of origin was traced by the Fire Marshall's office to the engine in the car. This product flaw is acknowledged to the dealers in what is known as a "silent recall." The consumer is never given this information, only the dealer. Why is this allowed? Silent recalls should be banned. Editors Note: These are actually called "secret warranties").

We eventually settled out of court after years of agony, and my brother's subsequent death due to cancer (I believe exasperated due to the Ford case) rather than go thru even more years of endless Ford appeals. Ford could care less about this design flaw and continues to manufacture death traps.

Michael of Warner Robins GA (04/02/08)
After driving my 2000 Ford f-150 for approx. 25 miles, I parked behind my carport. About 4 hours, the truck caught fire under the hood and since noone was home at the time, the vehicle was completely destroyed. The fire investigator said that the fire had clearly started on the drivers side in the area of the Master Cylinder. The Truck is a total loss ,but fortunately , there was little other property damage due to the excellent response by our fire fighters

Jesse of Hitchcock TX (04/01/08)
I was coming back from the grocery store and I stopped to grab my trash cans when I smelled something burning under the hood of my 2000 F150. I pulled up next to my house and shut the truck off. All of the sudden flames started coming out from underneath the hood against the windshield before I could even shut the door. I ran in my house to get my fire extinguisher and used it up on the flames to no avail. I then ran around the corner of my house to get my waterhose and then heard a loud boom and looked over to see flames bursting out of my truck 20 feet high(all this happened within minutes). I then immediately called 911, and they sent out the fire department and a cop. It took them about 5 minutes to get there and put out the flames, which were still roaring at 15-20 feet tall. Most of my engine,cab and front end were burnt up. The truck is completly totaled. This all happened at about 9:45pm on March 12,2008. I've had all recalls fixed by a Ford certified dealer. I had the truck for almost two and a half years and it always ran fine and had no problems. I am guessing it had something to do with the recalled part, since my story is similar to other peoples who had the problem. I only had liability insurance on it because I could not afford full coverage, therefore I am not being compensated for my truck. My homeowners insurance does not cover it either. Also ruint in the truck was several hundred dollars in personal items. If there is any way I can get some compensation from Ford I would like to try.

Justin of Glendale AZ (03/14/08)
In August of 2007, my insurance had lapsed on my 2001 Ford F-150 SuperCrew. I decided to park the truck while I could straighten out my finances. The truck had been parked for approximently five days and on the fifth day, the truck burst into flames. Luckily, my mother was home, and heard the explosion coming from outside. When she ran outside, she saw the flames coming from under the hood of the truck. Thankfully, she pulled out the hose and called 911 and had the fire put out before it burned the house and the truck.

Kert of Carencro LA (03/13/08)
My ford f-150 2002 burnt to the ground after being park in my front yard.

Ted of Milton FL (02/02/08)
Instant loss of power assist to brake system on 2005 F150 Ford PU with 5.4L engine. Drove truck home afternoon of 1/1/08 ariving at 3:45 pm. Had no problem with the brakes in route. I went back out to crank up truck to leave an hour later. When I started the engine, white smoke emerged from under the hood. I quickly turned off the engine and checked under the hood for a fire but found nothing burning. After smoke cleared I restarted the engine. No more smoke was visible so I moved the truck forward a few feet and noticed I had to stand on the brake pedal to get it to stop. I turned off the engine and let it sit for a few minutes and restarted the engine and again moved the truck a few feet but still had no brakes to speak of. It appears the brake power booster has quit working properly.

Geoff of Westminster CA (01/24/08)
January 22, 2008. 2001 Ford Expedition XLT caught on fire and destroyed in our driveway. After driving the vehicle for approximately 20 minutes it was parked in the driveway. Approximately 1 hr later (3:30pm) the engine compartment was on fire and became engulfed within minutes. Fortunately the vehicle was not in the garage. A neighbors daughter saw the fire and her dad and a friend came to our house and helped put out tht fire with a garden hose before it could catch fire to the front of our house. We were home when this happened, but did not know about the fire until the neighbor came to grab the hose in the front yard. The fire department indicated that the origin of the fire was on the drivers side of the vehicle near and around master cylinder. I have many pictures of the damage if needed.

Insurance company has not yet completed the investigation, however there is no doubt this vehicle is a complete loss.

Lisa of Keizer OR (01/15/08)
On Friday, Jan 11, 2008 my husband came home from work at 5:30 and parked his 2001 F-150 Supercrew in the driveway. He and my 3 year old son were at home. My husband was getting ready to get in the shower when he heard someone banging on the front door - by the time he got to the peep hole no one was there so he went back to the bathroom to resume his shower, he then heard another knock at the door and again went to see who was at the door, again...no one. Our 6 yr old lab was acting crazy, running up and down the hall barking like crazy. She is what alerted my husband to investigate further. He went into the bedroom of our 11 year old daughter and looked out front to the driveway and saw that his truck was fully engulfed in flames. It had been parked for about 45 minutes when the fire broke out. Our garage door and siding on the front of our house was pretty damaged but thank god not destroyed. The truck on the other hand is a total loss. My husbands truck is also part of the Ford recall. When we got the letter regarding the recall we called Ford and they said that they didn't have the part that was required to fix it but that since our cruise control wasn't working (It had stopped working about 2 mths before the fire) it must already be disconnected and we should be fine. Fires are rare so I wouldn't worry is what we were told. From the sounds of all these stories they are not as rare as they would like the consumer to believe. I am just thankful that my husband and my son are safe.

Andy of Sylvania GA (01/08/08)
In 2005 our 2001 ford f-150 caught on fire and our house all was destroyed. We lost everything in the house. That's when we had heard about the cruise control causing fires. Now 3 years later Jan 2008 our other 2001 ford f-150 engine caught on fire and melting the siding off our house before the house was burnt down again.

Rob of Tallahassee FL (12/31/07)
2004 Ford F-150 FX-4 truck burns up while driving. This just happened this weekend. Fire got so hot, it melted the windshield, burned through the firewall into the cab. Total loss. I had my daughter in the back seat, and had a difficult time getting her out, due to the fact that the electrical stuff on the truck would not function....namely the door locks. I had to break out a window to get her out!!!!

Ann of Pompano Beach FL (12/02/07)
Used my daughters 1998 Ford Explorer. Came home from food shopping and one hour later, car was in flames in carport of my modular home. Car was totally destroyed along with the siding of my new Modular Home. Thank God no one was hurt.

Car was totalled. Modular Home siding melted along with porch buckling and carport fried.

Frank of Universal City TX (09/13/07)
On August 28, 2007 my 2001 Ford F-150 SuperCrew pick-up truck started on fire after having sat in my driveway for five hours. The fire, though attended to quickly by our fire department, consumed the engine, engine compartment, firewall, front-end, etc. The truck was in my driveway and the fire also affected my home.

The Ford 2001 F-150 SuperCrew was a complete loss. There is approximately $5,000 damages to our house. My wife and I missed work time dealing with the clean-up and dealing with contractors. The fire will have to be disclosed to prospective buyers of our home and will lessen the future value of our home.

Julie of Willits CA (09/11/07)
My brother in law's 2007 Ford F150 caught fire in his drive-way and burnt to the ground. He just brought his brand new baby girl home 3 hours before. We were all sleeping in the house, when my sister woke to some sort of lights outside, as she went to the window she saw the Ford engulfed in 100 foot flames. My husband ran outside got the water hose to put the fire out. By the time the fire department got there, the truck was a pile of ash. If my sister would have never woke up, we could not even be here today because the truck would have caught the house on fire. They were never sent a recall in the mail or when they purchased the truck 6 months ago, nothing was ever talked about regarding this recall. Now they are out of a vehicle. My sister got the whole thing on video tape, we have already contacted a lawyer and are pursuing our case. I can't even imagine how a huge car company can sell death traps like this and get away with it.

Paul of Phoenix AZ (09/04/07)
spark plug blew out of cylinder head. no assistance through or extended warranty ford sold me.

Joshua of Princeton WV (09/04/07)
My F150 burnt to the ground early thrusday morning and it is beleive a recall is the problem.  I no longer have a vechile to drive and i am awaiting my insurance company to settle.

John of Charleston SC (09/03/07)
On Aug 31, 2007 My 1995 Ford F150 caught on fire and completely burnt out the engine compartment & cab interior. The truck was parked at the back of the house and hadn't been run for 10 hours.

Michael of Cda ID (08/30/07)
driving down freeway smoke filled the cab pulled over call 911 then it caught on fire total the truck fire was caused by cruise control it was a 91 ford f150

Briana of Canton GA (08/30/07)
My 2001 Ford F-150,caught on fire while it was parked. I called Ford and they said I would be receiving a letter from consumraffairs in a couple of days. But they would not give me any other information. I need them to tell me what they are going to do concerning my truck.

Lyle of Moreno Valley CA (08/20/07)
I own a 2000 Ford F150. It was parked in my driveway and suddenly caught fire in the engine compartment. The entire front of the vehicle was blazing by the time I got to it with a water hose. With the help of neighbors we were able to put the fire out before it got to my house. I have a friend that is a tech for Ford. After inspection he informed me that the cause was from having the bad speed control switch. It's ironic because I had just received a recall notice from Ford a week prior and had not opened it yet. The truck was almost paid off. Now I have a almost paid for pile of ash parked in my driveway. At least I was not driving it at the time.

Thomas of Lantana FL (07/10/07)
my 2005 ford 150 pick up truck was parked in the driveway on 12/21/06 when the engine caught fire. the truck was off and the engine had not been running for approx. 1 hour before it caught fire.

The truck was a total loss. Fire marshall stated the fire originated in the engine compartment. Geico ins. company paid off the remaining balance on the truck and the settlement was far below the KBB and also the NADA value. I was without a vehicle and could not work for two weeks.

Also, the property where the truck was parked was damaged as well and the home owner's insurance company is seeking damages from me. As Geico ins. did not pay the property damage. Photos of the Truck available as well as Fire marshall report available.

Larry of Mcloud OK (07/10/07)
1997 Ford F150 Truck was sitting in the parking lot at work and caught fire. It had not been started for several hours. There was know current problem with the truck and it was runing ok. According to Ford recall web site there where no outstanding recalls. The VIN # is 1FTDX1762VKA40217.

Candace of Lompoc CA (07/05/07)
On July 4th, 2007 we took our family to the beach to enjoy the holiday. We parked our 2000 Ford F-150 truck and withing 30 minutes it was completely engulfed in flames. We have had this truck since day one and have never had any problems or been notified of any recalls affecting our make and model. We have always kept up with regular maintenence and the truck was in great running condition. After the fire we became immediately aware of the factory recalls that went out on this vehicle by all of the shared stories of bystanders and their similar experiences or those of loved ones. Ford Motor company does not accept any responsibility for these fires and the costs to replace the vehicles.

Out truck was totalled and now we are left without a vehicle. We worked hard to keep this vehicle in good shape and we payed it off last year prior to my husband retiring from the Air Force. Because it is not a daily driver we recently reduced our insurance from full coverage to liability and now we are completly out of luck and out of a vehicle. Our family had camping reservations made a year ago that we needed the truck for and now we will have to cancel that as well of course nonrefundable. We purchased new tires for the truck 11 months ago for 1000.00 and that is lost as well.

Thomas of Barrington RI (06/27/07)
While driving my 2006 F150 Lariat home with my son on the highway (6/26/07), smelled smoke/burning smell. Another motorist driving past us told us there were flames coming out of the front. We pulled over and when my son opened the pasengers side door there were flames coming up from under the truck, he shut the door and got out the drivers side. In minutes the entire truck was engulfed in flames. A total loss. Highway was shut down. Lost everything, including all the tools in the back for work. Dealership is unresponsive. Never had any work done to the vehicle in past. Always current with oil changes and upkeep.

Joseph of Pittsburgh PA (06/12/07)
Bought a 2004 Ford F150 4X4 XLT. Had it for 3 years with no problems had done all scheduled and unscheduled maintenance. On 12 June 2007 at 3:20am the engine caught fire and destroyed the truck. I drove the truck at 5:00 the previous day for 1 hour and parked it at 6:00pm that night. The truck was running fine with no problems or anything it just caught fire as it sat on the street. The truck is a total loss. I will be contacting Ford in the morning conserning this issue.

Donna of Plano TX (05/25/07)
I own a 2001 Ford F150 that caught on fire due to a faulty starter and now the insureance won't cover it and ford won't take responsibility. What are my options?

$4,600.00 worth of damage to the body and engine from the fire.

Ricci  of Port Neches TX (05/16/07)
My son's 2002 Ford F-150 caught fire & burnt up in my driveway on May 5th,2007. The fire dept. was called to put out the fire & said it looks as though the fire started around the master cylinder. The fire dept. investigator states the origin of the fire to be similar as the fireman.

Since the fire, I've been told about a recall on this vehicle due to fires linked to the cruise control switch mounted on the master cylinder. I purchased this vehicle from a used car lot 6 months ago & was NEVER told about this recall by Ford or the seller.

I found out after the fire.It totalled the truck, did extensive damage to my driveway (driveway was stained, scored,&sealed about a year ago for thousands of dollars),plus lost many added features in truck(Stereo,amp,speakers,alarm system,new tires,shocks,ect). The conversation I've had with Ford (Steve),seems to be stringing me along,downplaying their responsibility,if any, & it's very frustrating.

After sending them many pictures taken immediately after the fire(they look identical to previous fires started the same way), a picture of leaking brake fluid on my driveway just prior to fire,the same 5A fuse blowing a number of times(causing inability to shift gearshift),they will send out their invetigator to look at vehicle. I should be contacted by him within a week.

When I first reported this to Ford, I was told to file it with my car insurance(I have liability only), then told to file under home owners insurance($3200 deductible). I said it was your responsibility,not theirs.

Gabriel of Moore SC (05/14/07)
I just wanted to add my experience with the Ford F-Series fires. On 5/11/07, I parked my 2001 F250 around 11:30 p.m. No prior troubles with this vehicle, and had just turned 105K miles. I brought my dogs inside for the night at almost exactly 1:00 a.m., which requires me to stand outside within six feet of my truck for a few minutes. No smell of any kind of smoke at that time was present that would have indicated a smoldering fire (I have worked as firefighter for twenty years and would have recognized even the faintest odor).

Around 1:30 a.m., a loud boom awakened me from my sleep. I ran outside to find my truck showing flame from the driver's side of the engine compartment. I know the first explosion I heard was NOT the driver's side tire exploding from the fire because I was outside on the phone with 911 when the tire blew. Within the six minutes before the arrival of the fire department, the entire engine compartment and most of the cab was engulfed. I am extremely thankful that my house, only six feet away, did not become involved, and it was only by divine intervention that I wasn't parked inside the carport that night.

S of Myakka City FL (05/10/07)
On 5-7-07, my son drove his 1997 Ford F150 home from school and parked it in his spot in the garage. Within 20 minutes, we heard his horn going off steadily. I went to the garage to verify the noise and the truck was engulfed in flames! I screamed for my husband who grabbed a fire extinguisher. My son grabbed his key. My husband was able to put the truck into neutral (while it was on fire and he was still spraying it down) and we rolled it out of the garage by pushing on the back seat of the vehicle. My husband was able to put out the flames before the fire dept. arrived. My son's beautiful truck is ruined. The garage was covered in soot although there was no other damage to our home. My husband contacted Ford and they say they stopped paying on these types of situations and we should go through our insurance company. Because of the age of the truck and the mileage (80,000), with our deductible, we'll end up with very little money and not be able to replace this vehicle. My son is heartbroken. Ford should be ashamed. I'm still shaking from the incident days later. It was just horrifying to see the black smoke in the garage and the flames shooting from the vehicle.

Michael of Walnut Creek CA (05/08/07)
Another horror story about Ford Expedition's Mine WAS a 1999,XLT, about 120,000 miles on it. Never a problem until last Sunday, May 6-2007. After my wife went on a quick shopping trip to the local supermarket, she parked the vehicle in front of our house. Within about 10 minutes, we hear a loud pop. I looked out the front window and a thick cloud of smoke was coming out from under the hood.

I grabbed a fire extingusher and rushed out to the vehicle. I could not open the hood or get too close to the vehicle due to the flames and smoke that was pouring out. I emptied the fire extinguisher from under the front of the vehicle, but the flames did not go out. I ran to the garage for a second extinguisher and did the same with the same results.

My wife called 911 and by the time the fire department arrived about 10 minutes later, the vehicle was completely engulfed and our house was singed by the flames and heat.

Luckily, no one was injured and the fire was put out in time with minimal damage to our house. The vehicle is totally destroyed.. Shame on the Ford motor company for producing a product that has this type of life threating defect.

Bruce of Melbourne FL (05/02/07)
On June 30,1999, my 1995 Ford F150 caught on fire at 11:15pm.after being parked in our driveway for at least 7 hours. Our son heard the loud explosion and came running into our bedroom to tell us that there was a fire in our driveway and he had heard a loud explosion.

When my wife and I ran out side, we saw our truck and front of our home totally engulfed in flames. We called 9-1-1. Fire rescue came out and put the fire out and started an investigation.

The report from the fire inspector stated that it was an electrical fire. Not only did this cost us $2000.00 in deductables,but we only got $9000.00 for a truck that was worth $12,000.00 and then we were charged for it.

The insurance company would not allow us to change insurance companys because of the claim and also increased our rates in order to pay back the money that they did give us!

Not only was the driveway and the front of the house damaged but so was the carpet in the house and the walls were smoke damaged. We were treated like criminals,and even asked by the insurance agent if WE started the fire on purpose!

I was totally appauled by such accusations. We kept the truck in showroom condition. I have never gotten any kind of letter from Ford acknowledging the problem or letting us know of any recalls.

I feel as though I should be compensated for the losses that we experience and the Ford Motor Company should stand up and take responability for their faulty vehicles, afterall, they didn't have a problem taking my money when I bought the truck! Many pictures were taken of the remains and damage.

Chad of Sturgis MS (04/27/07)
I own a 2000 Ford F-150. I walked outside and my truck was on fire under the hood. I was able to get the fire out, but the Ford dealership said its going to take atleast $5,300 or more to fix just the mechanical and wiring damage. I have not got a price on the body damage. The fire was started through the cruise control switch that I later found has had a recall on it for starting such fires. I asked Ford about there responsibilities in paying for the damages. They said they are not responsible and they are not going to pay for any of it. They said they sent out 5 recall notices, and that reliefes them of any responsibilities. I never recieved any recall notices, they may have went to the previous owner. I bought the vehicle from the Ford dealership used in late 03' or early 04'.

Daniel of Alpine CA (04/24/07)
I also have a 2003 Ford Expedition. Three weeks ago it blew a spark plug at just over 80,000 miles. Fortunately, my wife was not on the freeway when it happened. We have a premium warranty service on the vehicle but they have refused to pay for the repair.

Betty & Brent of Ponce De Leon FL (04/22/07)
We heard a loud pop and then a terrible noise from the engine. We had a spark plug blow out of the engine on our 2002 Ford F250 Laredo Crew cab Truck. Luckily we were close to a mechanic shop. The mechanic put another spark plug in and said that it will blow again. It will cost over $2,500.00 to fix it he says. We can't afford to pay that. So we have to take the chance it will happen again. Isn't that a safety issue? I think Ford should have to fix it.I see that alot of people are having this problem. Should'nt there be a recall?

It will cost over $2,500.00 to fix it.

Maria of Brownsville TX (04/21/07)
My 2001 f-150 4 door caught on fire feb07, i contacted ford and they have no reason why they dont want to be responsable for it, it did have a recall.my husband had just bought me the truck while serving in afghanistan then it was really hard getting a nice truck for once and then for it to catch on fire, i only had liability on it unfortunally , oh and no lawyer wants to take my case because they said something or someone had to catch on fire with the truck, so if anyone can help me i would really appreciate it

Charlie of San Angelo TX (04/17/07)
I have a 2000 Ford Expedition that also has blown out a spark plug.Since I am a diesel mechanic I rented a tool and repaired it myself.My worry now is when will the next one blow out? Probably in the middle of nowhere on a holiday.

I don't think I can trust the vehicle to go very far from home or to send the family on a trip and not worry about them.I tried to trade it off before the spark plug blew out but it seems that everyone knew but me that it was a 5.4 Triton and two dealers offered me $1200. for a very clean Expedition that I still owe $7800 on,when they had one exactly like it on their lot for $12995.

Bottom line is I have a nice suv that I cant trade in, trust to use as intended,or sell without feeling guilty about having given a problem to someone else.

Nas of Paterson NJ (04/16/07)
I have a 2003 Ford Expedition that has 39K miles the check engine light came on and it ran rough this weekend. I took it to a mechanic and he told me that his diagnostics indicate that cylinder #4 is misfiring and it might be the plug or the coil and it cost $200 to replace because it is very hard to get at; it is in the bottom of the engine. This is the 2nd time this happened the 1st time the truck was under warrantee with only 27K miles from reading all the customers comments and experience. It seems that Ford has an issue with plugs.

Patrick of Ventura CA (04/13/07)
Blew #3 spark plug out of the head on my 1997 Ford Expedition. The dealer wants $2400 for repair, $4200 for head replacement, or $5500 for a long block engine replacement.

So far, $200 towing cost and $90 dealer evaluation cost, plus loss of vehicle for 2-weeks (so far).

James of Bloomington MN (04/12/07)
You recently published my complaint about Ford spark plug blowouts I now have some info. I would like you to pass on. You have had many people from Minnesota that have had this problem and they need to contact Minnesota Attorney General's Office 1400 Bremer Tower 445 Minnesota Street St. Paul, MN 55101 (651) 296-3353 (800) 657-3787 TTY:(651) 297-7206 TTY:(800) 366-4812 to file a complaint against Ford, I have done so and they said they would contact Ford on my behalf to try and resolve this issue. The more people that contact them the better case they can present. Please let people in other states know to contact thier Attorney Generals. Thank you.

Philip of Sevierville TN (04/09/07)
My cold 2000 F250 Super Duty 4dr self ignited in my driveway. Thank goodness I had a hose nearby and noticed the smoke coming out of the driverside wheelwell while walking my dog. If I hadn't my house would have gone up in flames. My local Ford dealer said right off the bat that it looked like a fire originating at the cruise control.

Philip of Sevierville TN (04/09/07)
My cold 2000 F250 Super Duty 4dr self ignited in my driveway. Thank goodness I had a hose nearby and noticed the smoke coming out of the driverside wheelwell while walking my dog. If I hadn't my house would have gone up in flames.

My local Ford dealer said right off the bat that it looked like a fire originating at the cruise control and gave me an estimate of aprox. $5,000 that they filed with Ford, and told me it looked open and shut and not to worry, they would take care of the formalities with Ford and get back with me and hopefully have my truck back to me in about three weeks. Ford asked for an inspection by a local regional, who took pictures and filed a report to their home office proved to be the begining of my happy ending.

I filed a complaint with Ford's Detroit office about the same time, who inturn spoke with the regional office, who spoke with the regional office and manager again after I filed a complaint with Detoit when it was turned down the first time. Oddly enough when I spoke with the complaint line in Detoit while filing for a review of the decision after being told I was turned down for repairs by my Ford dealer,(who was quite surprised), the lady with whom I spoke with in Detroit was very nice and quite sympathetic, and was kind enough to read back to me the initial report from the field.

I only wish I had recorded my conversation. They admitted the guilt, but questioned whether it was worth fixing. Following my review of Ford's decision not to fix my vehicle, the story changed to the argument that the cause of the fire was indeterminable due to the extensive damage. There was no mention of guilt. My advise from Ford's complaint desk was to turn it into my insurance co.

I was told by the Ford employee that I would most likely be paid for my loss, and you know that Ford and most other car makers, own atleast part of all the major insurance companies, and they would work out some sort of payback as far as Ford was concerned for my damages, but atleast I would be compensated. I told her that I didn't want to involve my insurance co. as it may increase my rates and ratings, and she agreed, but said there was nothing Ford was going to do for me or my truck.

Through all this, I just kept repeating to everyone...all I want is my truck fixed...all I want is my truck back... To this day that is all I ever wanted. The insurance co. totaled the truck and after seven months I may have a chance to to out and get a three or four thousand dollar truck to replace my dependable, beautiful F250...you know the one I bought new...the truck I paid over thirty thousand for...the one I took such good care of...the one I used everyday to earn a living...eeeek

Gerry  of S Pasadena CA (04/03/07)
2002 Ford E350 44,000 miles, #7 spark plug blew out of aluminum head. On 4/3/07 John @ CRC offered $1000.00 w/ 24 hour expiration toward a $2511.00 cost(warranty priced discount) from Dealer.Dealer further offered an additional 10% discount and got a Ford field Rep. to agree to an additional $250.00. So as it stands now I'm still looking at a $761.00 bill according to the Dealer.

Geoffery of Wilton Manors FL (03/28/07)
Nothing has happened yet. I just wanted to register my name because I own a Ford F150 (1999)

Stephen of Mandeville LA (03/26/07)
my 1996 ford F150 exploded and completely burned to scrap metal after it had been parked in my driveway for over 24 hours. part of the master cylinder blew out from the truck and landed about 20 feet away. I was not home at the time-the neighbors heard the explosion and called 911. they also reported that the engine started by itself during the fire.

Mark of Mogadore OH (03/22/07)
I have been a proud FORD owner all my life. Until my '02 F150 blew a spark plug for the 2nd time costing me in exess of $4,000. I have been stranded out of town twice with $300 towing bils. I was told by Ford that since there are nor recalls on this problem, it is soley my responsibility and he has only heard of this 2 times. They refuse to stand behind the obvious Manufacturer defective design. This is a very wide spread problem between 99-04 on Tritan V8 and V10. When I talked to the service manager at the dealership I had it fixed at...the first thing he asked was Let me guess, #3 cylendar? I said yes! What does that tell you?

Tom of Allentown NJ (03/22/07)
I have been a Ford person for 35 years. Last year my F 250 with the 5.4 blew the back passenger side plug @ about 120,000 miles. It cost over 2000.00 to pull the head and have a helicoil put in. I currently have a 2006 F-150 with a 5.4. I'm alittle nervous. Ford is forceing me to look elsewhere.

John of Urbana IA (03/21/07)
I bought a 2001 Ford F150 with 89000 miles on it in December of last year. It now has 104000 miles. This past week my wife and I were driving home from shopping when we were startled by a loud bang. The engine started missing so i pulled over to the side of the road and shut it off. I called the local ford dealer in Center Point and told them the problem, they said it is probably a blown spark plug which is what it turned out to be.

I was given two options, one was to replace the head at a cost of $3000 or to have a heli coil put in the spark plug hole at a cost of $300-$400 I chose the second. This is the first Ford I have owned after switching from driving Chevy trucks for 20 years, needles to say once I pick it up from the dealer ship after the repair I will be sending it down the road after reading all of the problems with the heads.

Keith of Brandon MS (03/21/07)
Last night at 4 am I was awakened by my daughter who heard a loud noise in the driveway. When I went to the front door I saw that my wife's 2001 Ford Escape was on fire. After the Fire Department put out the fire the Fire Inspector stated the fire had started near the brake booster. After looking on this web site I see that there have been 8 other incidents happening to these vehicles, that have been reported to your agency. What recourse do I have as a consumer against Ford for not warning customers of this potential hazard. I am having to claim this against my Insurance which is going to cause my Insurance to go up?

The vehicle is a total loss and I am going to have to buy a new one to replace it. I can not replace it for the amount that they say my Escape is worth.

Furman of Townville SC (03/17/07)
I have just lost my Ford 2001 F-150 truck to a fire. I parked the vehicle in our drive, normally I would have parked in the garage. I was awakened about 6 hours later with explosions from the truck being on fire. I had received 2 recalls and went to local Ford dealer was told they did not have the part to replace the faulty part but that mine was not one of the ones being recalled.

This related to the cruise control. The second time I was told the same thing about no parts and they disconnected the cruise but before I left the Service manager said again that mine was not one of the ones being recalled and to plug it back up. I have contacted Ford and they say they have no responsibility

My truck is a total loss, it completely burned. In fact the fire was so hot that it melted the inside of the front rims.My recourse not is an attorney and hopefully a class action suit against Ford

Dan of Huntington Beach CA (03/12/07)
I have a 1997 Ford F250 LD and I also had a spark plug blow out. 3rd cyl. passenger side. Fixed it and 200 miles later blew 4th plug passenger side. Only not so lucky this time the loose plug started a fuel fire and burned my truck down to the axels in 12 minutes. 100% total. BEWARE This could kill you. It went up so fast we lost our cameras ,computer,GPS and just got out ourselfs. would love to share the pictures of my truck with the people from Ford that say there is not a problem

Truck was a total to replace it with a Chevy or Dodge will cost 6 or 7 thousand but I would walk before driving a Ford with alum. heads.

Eric of Idaho Falls ID (03/10/07)
My 1997 Ford Expedition 5.4 L with aluminum heads spit out a spark plug. They said $800 to fix it. I went to Smith Ford in Rexburg, ID and they fixed it for $292. The next month, it spit out a second plug, another $392. I am looking for a Toyota now. American auto manufacturers need to stand by their product when it is a design flaw. I see from the internet that it is a common problem, and the dealers admit it is seen frequently.

Kelli of Sparks NV (03/07/07)
We have an 1999 F350 and have had 2 different spark plugs blow in a matter of 7 months. Of course when I called Ford, they denied knowing of a problem and said it didn't matter anyway because I was out of warranty. About a month after our 2nd plug blew, my father's F150 blew a plug.

SO FAR, we have had to pay $2000. in repair expenses to have both plugs rethreaded.

Juliana of Hastings NY (03/05/07)
expedition blown spark plug at 65k, at mechanic now. not sure if threads ruined but prolly are...over 4k to fix? this piece of crap isn't even worth 4k!!!!!!!!!!

Mark of Scarborough ME (03/03/07)
My 1997 Ford F150 pick up truck had a Spark Plug Blow out.

Wayne of Brighton MI (03/02/07)
We joined the Ford spark plug club last week. All of the links I find for class action don't work. Between my POS GMC Jimmy (which has had $1000 of non-reimbursed electrical repair in the steering column switches)I've had. Sorry flag wavers I really tried but the incompetence and arrogance of these companies is too much. My beater Honda needs gas and oil...period: and it has way more miles than my Detroit iron. As the RamChargers used to say...Color me gone.

I used a tap with adapter to fix the head (not helio-coil). It takes a newer smaller spark plug now. Got my fingers crossed. Anyone have any experience with the longevity of this fix?

Steve of Lompoc CA (02/26/07)
I was driving home Saturday evening when I smelled something burning. Looking around I noticed out the left rear window sparks hitting the highway from my truck. I pulled over and checked the bed of my truck to find it. I noticed flames underneath the truck between the bed and the cab. Thinking fire and gas tank, I ran and proceeded to call 911.

After reporting it, I turned around and the truck was up in flames. I was out on Highway one between the 101 and Lompoc. The fire truck and highway patrol showed up ,but by the time they did, the truck was halfway melted. The fireperson said it was electrical. It's a 2001 F-150 and I was baffled by what went wrong, only to find out about all this recall cruise control stuff.

The truck is melted. I'm a General Contractor meaning my tools, my business was in it.

Suzanne  of Clarksville TN (02/26/07)
The entire front portion of my 1997 Ford Contour was on fire. I stood in amazement watching my car get destroyed while awaiting the fire department.

Shannon of Roanoke VA (02/23/07)
My husband's 1999 Ford Ranger XLT, did not catch fire, thank goodness. But we had a problem with smoke coming from the cruise control stick mounted on the steering column, and a popping sound. It stopped and he hasn't had any additional trouble. But I read the info about the fires etc, so he hasn't been using his cruise control anymore.

I called Ford and they told me the Rangers where not included in the recalls. But from reading the info posted here I don't understand that. So many Fords are being recalled...don't they usually all use the same parts????

I am really worried. Is there still an open investigation to see if more vehicles should be recalled?

T of Paso Robles CA (02/20/07)
My 2001 Ford F150 blew out Spark plug just like all the rest. Dealer said too bad

No $ to fix

Stephanie of Clovis CA (02/20/07)
My stupid Ford Focus as of today has had the ignition switch go out for the third time! I have had nothing but trouble since I bought this car brand new off the lot in September of 2000. Two starters, 3 ignitions, 3 batteries, and 2 alternaters! Talk about a lemon but the lemon law I guess does not apply to this stupid car!

Joe of Grasonville MD (02/19/07)
My 2002 F-150 began shuddering about 8 months ago. Since then: I've had all the sparkplugs replaced; reoccured and had an engine coil replaced (about 3 months ago); now it's back worse than ever.

Initially, I'd feel the misfires between 40-60mph under light load only. Now, it's all the time -- idling, most any speed and under practically any load. I took it back to a shop and they correctly diagnosed the problem (as my research has shown); but, since the check engine light is not yet on, they can't narrow it down to what plug/coil to replace.

I'll be following the advice to buy a whole set of coils from eBay for $98 and get the shop to put 'em in. But, I fear that it'll all come back in a few more months, and/or a plug will be spit out and the cylinder head damaged.

I followed Don of Omaha NE's advice and called called Ford's Customer Care department to log an official complaint: 1-800-392-3673. After gathering all my information, she asked what I was seeking from Ford at this time.

 I referenced this website, many others, and that I'm seeking to log a official complaint, hoping that that will lead to Ford offering a recall due to the large number of vehicles that this applies to. She said indeed that it's just this sort of phone call that could lead to a recall being announced. We'll see... So, I second Dan of Omaha's plea: EVERYONE SHOULD CALL FORD TO COMPLAIN!!!

Thomas of Pine Island NY (02/10/07)
As is the case with so many other people, the V-10 Triton engine manufactured by Ford than runs our 2001 Georgetown motor home (chassis by Ford; coach by Forest River of Goshen, Indiana) has blown a spark plug for a second time.

Mechanics willing to re-sleeve the cylinder are few and far between. Ford dealerships will replace the engine head, refusing to use a simple tool, which Ford itself makes, to resleeve the cylinder for the spark plug.

Gas fumes enter the entire coach of the motor home, necessitating the evacuation of my family into our tow vehicle, which is detached, and my driving the motor home as gas fumes enter the coach.

We must continue to drive as I make my living giving talks to small groups of Catholics across the nation. I have no choice but to continue to drive until we find someone to resleeve the cylinder. We found man in northern California in early 2006 who used the tool, which we had to rent from a company in Green Bay, Wisconsin, to resleeve one cylinder. We are in need of finding another such competent person in Alabama or Florida.

This has cost us much in the past. It is costing much at present. Ford must be held accountable for this. I would be willing to testify before a Congressional committee on this dereliction of duty by Ford by its placing the owners of the V-10 Triton engine in great physical jeopardy.

Roslyn of St. Robert MO (01/30/07)
On 17 January 07, my husband was driving my 2003 Ford Expedition when he felt a jerky, hesitation from the vehicle. He took the vehicle to the Ford dealership and they told him the ignition coil spark plug #5 need to be replaced.

It cost him $349. We thought that would solve the problem when a week later #7 did they same thing. The service department help us with a discount $273 (we were blessed on this one). The service department said that there is moisture in the cylinders and they could dry them out for $219. My vehicle only has 65,000 miles and I bought the vehicle in March 2006.

Angel of Detroit MI (01/29/07)
I have a 99 expedition, around mid August of 2006, i was riding on the freeway home from work, when i heard a loud pop from my engine sounding like a loud messed up muffler had just blew off, and i started to slow down not able to go over aleast 20mph, pulled over a man looked under my hood and found that my back spark plug had blew out, he tried 3 times to put it back in but he said the threads were strips but when he had a extra spark plug and screwed it in tightly it worked but only temporarly, Again in jan 07 i turned the corner and there it goes again popped out and now im here without a vehicle.

Dave of Sarasota FL (01/20/07)
My 99 Expedition is now dead under the carport. For the third time in less than two years a spark plug blew through the head. I also had to replace a blower assembly unit so I could have heat and air conditioning.

I cannot afford to pay $5000 for a new head or $6000 for a new engine. I have $4400 left on my loan and the truck is worthless now. Since I bought this truck I have put over $3,000 into various repairs to keep it running. The spark plug issues have cost me $2,000 so far. I had to repair a blower assembly for $800 just to get heat and air conditioning. Since this is a work truck, I had to buy another truck to stay in business. I switched to Dodge. Now I have two payments instead of one. I want

William of San Jose CA (01/16/07)
FORD 2000 Excursion with V10 shot out a spark plug and coil. (second plug up from the front right side...#3???) Now I too know what the sound was 2 years ago when we had the vehical towed to a service station... They said you have a common plug problem and $900 later I was on the road again. This time the noise came back in my driveway...so I took a look. The plug is OUT and I can not put it back in. Is there any recourse? I have been driving for over 30 years and this is a FIRST. I think there is a design DEFECT and Ford should step up and take responsibility. I can not pay this a second time!...

David of Shakopee MN (01/15/07)
I have a 1998 Ford Expedition w/5.4 Triton motor. Had spark plug #2 blowout on 1/5/07.

$830.00 in repair/ re-sleeve plug hole

Carole of Chino CA (01/09/07)
In August of 2006 my Ford pick up started running rough. I took it to dealer was number #2 coil and plug had 72,876 and I had purchased extended warenty, which was not covered. cost 434.34. In December the number 8 coil went so I went to auto zone and replaced it along with all plugs. the book says to do this at 100,000 miles I had 77,049, this seamed to fix the problem for about a week then it started to run rough again so took it back to dealer this time was the #5,7, & 2 coil and spark plugs they did not charge me for # 2 coil. but still cost me $448.26.

I don't trust my truck to go anywhere as I still have 4 more coils to go and now I am finding that these engins are puking plugs. If I bought a new pick up would Ford have solved this problem or am I just getting another problem. I am 64 years old and have always owned a Ford had good luck until now.

Milton of San Antonio TX (01/04/07)
I had the same problem on the number 5 plug (left front?) on my Mustang GT. This fix works with the Cylinder on the car...my sparkplug was in an easy access place, you might have to remove other stuff to get to yours...good luck! I bought the 14 x 1.25MM Helicoil kit for $78.00. It comes with a tap, 5 Helicoils, and the insertion tube and tool. I had to grind down the edges of the insertion tube so it would fit in the spark plug(cylinder) hole on the 4.6L SOHC Head.

Jeremey of Wallaceburg OTHER (01/03/07)
The spark plug blew out from the third cylinder head

It resulted in breaking a coil, breaking the bracket off of my fuel injector as well i had to have the spark plug hole tapped out to get a spark plug to stay in again, as well as new injectors. It has left me without a vehicle for over a week, and it could still happen again.

Ken of Barrington IL (01/03/07)
In early 2006 I was sitting at a stop just around the corner from my home when I heard this pop and then a repetitive tattering sound from under the hood of my truck. I had the truck taken to a certified ford repair center to find out that it had blown out a spark plug. The repair facility stated that Ford trucks are imfamous for doing this and when it happens it strips the aluminum head requiring a replacement head or helicoil insert.

The facility fixed my truck and I was on my way, only 43,000 miles on my truck and I get it serviced around every 3000 miles. On December 31st 2006 I was half way home in a 700+ mile trip with my family when I heard a very familiar pop and the same repetitive tattering under my hood. I immediately pulled off the road, 36 degrees outside and raining, to find out that I had another plug that had been blown from the number 1 cylinder.

I was lucky that I just recieved some tools for Christmas, which I opened and used to get the plug reinserted so that I could get my truck home. If this had been just my wife and kids, which it was suppose to be, then they would have been stranded on the side of the road and I would have incurred a tow charge along with the repair charge I will have to incur. This is a big problem with Ford trucks and if Ford is not going to own up and fix this problem free of charge to the consumers that experiences this problem then I think they should be forced to recall and fix all vehicles with this potential problem.

The unfortunate part of this is that my Dad is a huge proponent of Ford Trucks and has been a Ford truck owner since 1967. My dad has passed on his secured feeling about Ford trucks to both my brother and myself. My Dad has owned 4 Ford trucks and I have owned 1, this my first, and if this cannot be resolved then I can not buy another Ford truck going forward because I must buy vehicles that I can trust from a company I can trust.

Eric of Hodges AL (01/02/07)
I have had 3 Spark plugs ejected from the heads of My 2001 F-150 pickup

The cost to repair these has exceeded $1500

Gordon of Frederick MD (01/02/07)
The second sparkplug on the passenger side blew out of the cylinder head destroying the coil in the process.

The only apparent physical damage is to the cylinder head (stripped threads), the coil (destroyed) and the spark plug. The repairs will cost approximately $1100 at the local Ford dealer. Fortunately, they think they can make the repair without pulling the head. If they had to pull the head, the repairs would cost over $3000.

Tony of Canton MI (12/26/06)
Just like many others, my 2002 Excursion with the 6.8l started spitting spark plugs. The #6 plug was spit out tonight for the second time. At this point I will be pursuing the timsert solution.

Lucas of Waynesville NC (12/25/06)
This is another Ford engine sparkplug blowout story. I own a 2002 F150 with 65k on it. It blew a plug about a year ago which I had repaired via a sleeve as there was no way I was gonna pay over $3000 that the dealer wanted for a head replacement. Then, it just did it again while I am on vacation in FL. Now I have a rental car expense, my vacation ruined, etc. over a problem Ford fails to fix. This complete bull and they need to be hung out to dry on it.

Bill of Simi Valley CA (12/25/06)
I like many others have had my 2002 Ford F-150 blow a spark plug out of the cylinder head. To repair it took 5 days and $3,000 for a new head. After discussing this with the service tech at my local Ford dealership he informed me that this is a very common occurance. He said that Ford had only used 3 threads in the head that failed, but are now replacing them with a 7 thread head., This tells me that they are very aware of the problem but are willing to leave their customers footing the bill. I guess the scary part about that is I still have 4 more 3 thread spark plug holes to worry about blowing out,.I absolutly feel this should be under a re-call.

Daniel of Perrysville OH (12/18/06)
Blew the #3 spark plug out of the engine. No warranty protection. Estimated repair cost $3,500. Same problem thousands of 5.4 ltr v-8 Triton engines are experiencing. Need help!! Ford should recognize the problem and recall!!

Milton of San Antonio TX (12/14/06)
I purchased a 2000 Mustang GT in Florida and was driving it back home to Texas. Everything was going fine until just outside of Houston (200 miles left of a 1400 mile trip). I heard a loud pop from the front of the car, then a loud hissing that was going off and on at a rate of about 5 per second (approximation). I first thought I had blown a tire but the car wasn't handling any different. Pulling to the side of the road, listening to the noise, then opening the hood, I noted that one of the spark plugs had blown out of the engine. The coil over that plug (this car uses coils on each spark plug, not the old spark plug wires with one distributor setup) was lying on top of the engine with the plug still in the rubber boot. Long short of the story, I am, among other things, an experienced mechanic. I own a shop where we build racing Jet Ski's. I immediately knew that the plug had somehow stripped the threads in the head. I then disconnected the plug coil and the injector, put the plug/coil in the car and drove the last 200 miles without it. Of course it made lots of noise and ran poorly but it beat the promise of sitting on the side of the road waiting for a tow truck and a very expensive tow job to where ever. Upon getting back to San Antonio, I stopped by several shops looking for a Helicoil and tap to fit that sparkplug hole. I went several places and found what I needed. After tapping the hole with the new tool I bought, I taped a 3/8 tube to the end of my shop vacuum, sucked out the aluminum shavings from the cylinder, then inserted the Helicoil. (A helicoil is a spring looking set of threads that fit into a newly tapped or threaded hole to fix the damaged or missing threads that were there originally.) Since the threads had completely stripped out, I simply replaced them with the Helicoil. The whole fix took me about an hour, and now it's better than new. My total cost was $78.00. I did the repair with the HEAD ON THE ENGINE. I don't recommend a novice to do this, but any competent mechanic that has done Helicoil's before can manage it. Bottom line, Ford dealers telling anyone that to fix this problem is in the thousands of dollars is simply RIPPING YOU OFF!!!

È

Edward of Hauppauge NY (12/13/06)
About a year ago I bought a Lincoln Navagater with 28,000 miles on it. I bought the truck through Neil Lincoln in Medford NY. I paid $2500 for an extended warranty to cover me to 75000 miles. Well, I was going to work last week when the spark plug in my # 6 cyl. striped and blew out.Almost caused a chain 10 car or more pile up on Jerehico Tpke. Rt25 In Huntington NY. I had the car towed to the dealer. Sayville Ford ( because Neil Lincoln is now out of business ) So, I bought a LINCOLN , A warranty thru

The ford dealer and had all my service and sceduled maintaince done by Lincoln Dealer( witch is a total rip off ) But I did it because I thought If I had a problem they would fix it. The extended warranty people will not pay becauce this is a design flaw where ford only has a few threads holding the spark plug in an alum. block. So now I have a 500 dollar a mo. payment plus a rent a car for 199. a week. and ford says that they are not responsable. Well , If people were getting killed because of this it would get more attention. But then again if I died I would not be able to tell the story. So here I am pleading my case. I know that as a consumer, I did everything right. Now its time for someone to take the bull by the horns and stick up for the consumer. I just read through 89 pages with about 3 or 4 complaints per page.about 340 cases of the same thing that happened to me. The dealer at sayville ford told me to fix it right its 5800 dollars plus tax.

Now I sill have to pay 500/Mo. for this truck at least 6 K to fix it. Also I have 4 more years of payments @ 500/Mo. and on top of it I have to go out and buy another car so I can afford to work and get to work so I can live. Not to mention the total waste of time and mental stress.Can someone please step up to the plate and fight for whats right before someone gets even more hurt or even worse Killed !

Delores of Los Angeles CA (12/13/06)
Saturday December 9, 2006, my son was driving my 2004 Ford Explorer to come and pick me up. While exiting there was a puddle (raining) my son hit the brakes they locked and the truck flipped over. The top caved in. I was just looking at a report on Fox 11 news about how the Ford Explorer's are not being too successful passing safety inspections and I know they have a history of brakes locking. Thank God my son had on his seat belt.

My truck is totaled, roll over damage and cannot be restored.

Matthew of Sherwood AR (12/11/06)
I own a 1999 Ford F150 with the 5.4 Triton V8. I have had it for two years now and have not had any problems until earlier this year when a spark plug blew out on the drivers side. Luckily it had managed to keep the threads and I managed to put a new plug in it. I thought it was from when I had changed plugs out 3-4 months ago. About 3 weeks later it did it again and broke the power pack. So I went and bought a new plug and pack , but when I tried to put it back in, it wouldnt tighten. THE THREADS WERE STIPPED!!! I was shocked when I looked online and found that there was 100s of cases of this. I called Ford and they denied knowing anything and said the only thing would be a new head, expensive one at that.

My truck sat for a week while I looked for other resources that was capable and willing to do a repair. I finally found a shop that would put a heli-coil, i think that is how it goes in it. Because of the plug number, they could get to it easy, so it cost me around $300, alot cheaper than a head. I have not had a problem with it since, although I have had to tighten another spark plug repeatedly after noticing an unusual sound during startup. Luckily I manage to hear it before it blows out. My wife doesnt like to drive it now because of the what if and I dont know what to hear for, so I am thinking of getting rid of it now. I would recommend it if you can find a shop that is willing to do the work, because some won't.

Bobby of Avondale AZ (12/08/06)
Like the other folks, I have drive about four Fords and awhile back a spark plug blew out of the aluminum head and Ford says it is my truck and for $2,500 they will take care of it. I told them where to put it and went out and bought a Dodge. If Ford does not care enough to take care of its customers on what is apparently a nationwide problem then we can see why they are losing money and will continue to lose money. Do not support their products.

I just got rid of the truck

Mark of Port Edwards WI (12/06/06)
Was just driving my 99 ford f-150 at 40 mph and all of a sudden made such racket under the hood I cringed. Had to drive truck another 5 miles at less then 10mph and started to troubleshoot the problem after I finally got home. It was almost zero outside and was not going to wait for a tow truck for me and my two small children. Found that the number 4 cylinder had destroyed the threads within the cylinder head.

Jeneille of Boise ID (12/06/06)
I bought a ford escape from my family who bought the vehicle new in 2003...I have owned the car for five monthes and the engine blew up as I was driving down the road without any warning....I am diligent about changing the oil and take good care of my car....I called Ford because there is only 75,000 miles on the car and this should not be happening...they were rude...mind you my mother has owned a ford explorer for almost 10 years... the sad part is I am a young hard working female stuck in montana, trying to find a engine and still get back to idaho to work (I have already missed 2 days)...and here's the kicker it's 3600 for a used engine or 6000 for a new...what do you do! I hate ford and looking on the internet it appears that I am not the only one that this has happened too...

Danny of Danville IL (12/04/06)
1999 Mercury Grand Marquis. 4.6 L engine. Spark plug blow out #8 cylinder. This is not an isolated incident from what I have been reading. Ford needs to step up and take responsibility for their engineering mistake before people start getting killed. Apparently there is no mileage consideration or specific time when it happens. The plug just blows out and your car loses power and makes all kinds of noise. If this happened in a bad neighborhood I guarentee they would return fire thinking it was a drive by shooting.

Jeff of Marshville NC (12/02/06)
99 F150 number 4 spark plug blow out .Went to pick up kids at school, shut truck off to wait in line,went to start up and pow sound like a shot went off. Pop up hood and saw coil moving. Pulled coil off and found plug . Looks like I can join the club now .1999 f150 120,000 miles

Richard of Centereach NY (11/30/06)
While on vacation driving in south Florida ,the 4th pass. side spark plug blew out and caused flames under the hood of my 1999 F350 Ford. resulting in a repair bill of more than $1000.00. reported to NHTSA ,with no results , I thought a FIRE under the hood was important, Guess NOT ! Ford company was no help either. Still waiting to here of someone Burnt from flames.

HAD TO SPEND TWO DAYS AND $ 1000.00 , more than 1500 miles from HOME.

Trevor of San Marcos CA (11/29/06)
On March 31st 2006 I went to my girlfriends house to visit. I parked in front of there house and was in side for at least half an hour to an hour when her dad looks out the window and yells that my 2001 ford f-150 is on fire. It caught fire after i had turned my engine off. I ran outside and the entire front of my truck was up in flames. The fire was so intense that it melted all the glass and hood right off. It came from under the hood. The truck was totalled. The fire department had to come and barely put it out before it exploaded. I lost everything. To this day, I still havent recovered my losses.

My truck was totalled. I lost everything in there. It melted the pavement below and sidewalk. I lost clothes, my ipod, all my cd's. 6 cd changer, brand new bf goodrich all terrain tires, bed liner, etc. I recovered nothing. One of the insurance people said it was the cruise control, which was right but after that, no one said anything and Insurance gave me basically nothing. Ford never contacted me back after i attempted. They are at fault but wont pay for anything.

John of Chicago IL (11/28/06)
I have a Ford F150 and was doing about 40 down the street and heard a loud noise. I paid 175.00 to have my truck towed to the dealer. The dealer has told me it is the number 3 spark plug that blew and it will cost 2400.00 to fix it. it has been 2 days since the breakdown and the warranty company says it will take 48 hours more to determine whether they will cover the repairs. We don't hold much hope of that as the sparks plugs are not covered under the warranty.

My wife had to pick me up from work that day. My wife now has to stay home from work in order for me to go to work. We made that desicion because I make more than my wife. They are telling me that I will not get my truck back until at least monday that means my wife will miss at least 4 days of work.

Kim of Rockwall TX (11/24/06)
On Oct. 9, 2006 our 2000 Ford Expedition caught fire in our driveway.The fire totaled our Expedition, heat damaged our Ford Explorer sitting next to it, burned our garage on our new house, and smoke damaged our new fence that was less than 3 months old. The fortunate side of this story is a neighbor saw the back of our house and car was on fire and alerted us in time to get out before our house burned down and possibly killed us.

The fire department told us of a recall, my husband nor I had received any letters of a recall. We luckily had full insurance on our 2000 Expedition, but had to pay three different deductibles totalling $4600. Our totally burned truck sat in our driveway next to our burned house for over a month waiting on FORD, who NEVER CAME to evaluate the situation (we were informed by our insurance company they would). The bright side of this story is we are alive, but want to inform as many people as we can of this story so it doesn't happen to anyone else.

The economic damage was $3600.00 deductible on our house, $500.00 for a totalled 2000 Ford Expedition, $500.00 deductible for a Ford Explorer Truck. The countless hours off dealing with contractors, and the emotional stress this has put on our lives.

Jacobus of San Jose CA (11/18/06)
My 1998 Ford Expedition XLT caught fire when parked in the parking lot of Georgio's restaurant after driving for about 20 minutes. Fire started in the engine compartment and remained localized there. Entire engine compartment flamed up, burned a hole through the hood, and damaged everything forward of the vehicles firewall. Flame was contained and extinguished using industrial fire extinguishers available at the restaurant Georgio's where my wife, daughter, and I were meeting my parents for dinner. The vehicle has a good service record and has been service at the local Ford dealer a few times, so this was a huge surprise.

Fairly confident the vehicle will be declared totaled by my insurance carrier Geico. My wife and I depend on having a second vehicle because I drive our other vehicle 60 minutes away every day for work. Since she spends her time raising our daughter, I am the sole source of income, but we're unsure that income can accommodate a car payment (both of our vehicles are paid for).

Robert of Richmond VA (11/13/06)
11/12/06 the car (Crown Victoria) caught fire after sitting in the drive for 12 hours.

Total loss to car and truck sitting next to it.

Jim of Marion NY (11/01/06)
This is a follow up on the trouble I'm haveing with my 1998 Ford Expadition, 4.6 V8. Started the truck up heard a loud bang shut off the motor and opened the hood and found that the spark plug on the passenger side 2nd one back had blowen of of the head. took it to Bob Bonosky ford in Macedon NY, spoke with a tech named Shawn, He told me that this is a problem and that ford is aware of it. It seems that there is a flaw in the head design,and they have not stepped up to the bat, Ford suggest that the head be replaced,But they will not pay for it. So I called ford, I was told that ( yes we are aware of this problem and to make sure I take it to a ford dealer to have it repaired at my cost,We do not have a program in place to address this issue and no, Ford will not pay to have it repaired, Thank you very much for calling.) Shawn at Bob Bonosky Ford told me that they have a sleeve kit to repair the head, (Its not a helicoil) and he has fix a number of them and has not had any come back,The repair cost me $305.00. Replaceing the head does not fix the flaw, it fix's the problem till the head lets go of another spark plug, The design is the same. I strongly incouage all the people that have had this happen to them, To call and complain to Ford and anyone else who will listen, its the sqweeky wheel that will get the oil,

Steven of Charlotte NC (10/30/06)
I purchased a 2005 f150 brand new.. loved the truck.. then today i realize just how safe my f150 is to leave alone for a few minutes... Someone with a flatblade screwdriver gave the door handle a wack below the lock cylinder through the plastic and catching the rim of the lock cylinder. on the driver side equiped with the keyless entry and then used the screwdriver to turn the lock. they were in the truck, in less then 1 minute.. how is it that someone can break into a brand new truck with a screwdriver in a minute? can ford not afford to make better locks and door handles? must they use plastic and cheap locks? i can open my door with any key of any length... you can use the end of a dinner knife to turn the lock, as all you have to do is just get an object in about 1/8th of an inch, if that...

Satama of Willingboro NJ (10/26/06)
I own a 2003 Ford Escape limited edition, and have 88,000mi on it, most of which are highway miles. My transmission just went out! The good thing is that I was still in the parking lot at work when it happened.. the only indication that something was wrong is that it was a little sluggish earlier in the day. I called Ford to see if there was a discount program that I could benefit from seeing that the vehicle was only three years old. No I don't have an extended warranty on it.. never thought I would need one on a newer vehicle. I was told there was no help for me.. Ford Tough.. not so in my case..

Ken of Taunton MA (10/24/06)
Spark Plug blow out on 2001 F150 5.4L. Cost me time off from work and some way to pay $3,000 to fix.

Richard of Ottawa (10/24/06)
1999 Ford Expedition blew out spark plug while driving to work. Ford said this was not a defect and I would have to pay for the repair $3,000-$7,000. I took it to another garage to have a coil and new spark plug installed (cost me $300). When then tried to drive it out of the garage the transmission broke. I had to have the transmission rebuilt ($2,000). Within the year the spark plug blew out again and the engine was replaced ($3,000).

This cost me $5,000 to repair it to the state that it runs but not very well. I ended up giveing the vehicle away because the maintenance costs were to high (estimate that I lost $12,000 value of the vehicle). I then went a bought a Toyota.

Loras of Winston GA (09/23/06)
Well, I guess I'll add my name to this trail of tears. My 1999 Ford Expedition 5.4 Triton just spit out the #3 spark plug and after reading the litany of complaints, I have no delusions that this is going to be expensive. I'm going to call the Ford dealership on Monday to get the bad news. It's a shame that an otherwise really nice vehicle can be screwed up with one design defect and turn people away from buying future Ford products. Chrysler had a similar problem that went on for years with transmissions failing in their minivans. Chrysler wouldn't pay for it either. It seems that when the problem is not safety related, the manufacturers feel they can get away with it!

Daniel of Colorado Spring CO (09/23/06)
Similiar to many issues others are having with spark plugs blowing out of the block. My problem though less expensive is still quite flustrating. My spark plugs are continually burning out. I've been replacing plugs in my 98 F-150 5.4 for the last three months after I had Ford replace faulty coil packs. Since they had my truck my plugs have been fouling out left and right, and they will take no responsibility for the problem.

I

Ray of Chanhassen MN (09/21/06)
Plug on #3 cylinder blew at 92,000 miles on my 2002 F150. Expense aside I will never trust this truck in the backwoods in the Winter in Minnesota. No reply from Ford.

Scott of Dupo, IL (09/09/06)
Ignition lock failed without warning on my 2001 Ford Focus. Key would not go in and when it finally did, the lock refused to turn. After doing an Internet search I am not alone with this problem. Apparently it is a widely known problem concerning the earlier models of the Focus. Which, to the best of my knowledge Ford has refused to address properly.

Barbara of Spotsylvania, VA (09/08/06)
My 2001 Ford F150 Truck caught on fire while parked, with the ignition off, on September 5, 2006. Please note that I am the second owner of this vehicle and received no safety recall notice. 

After contacting my insurance company  and speaking with others I was advised to see if there were any recalls on the vehicle that might have been connected with the fire. During my research I discovered there are two recalls and specifically the speed control system modification recall states it could lead to fire. This is very alarming as I never received any information on this recall and my vehicle has caught on fire and is a total loss.

I may owe more then what the truck is valued, so once I am able to pay off the loan I will then be without a vehicle and will have to incur a higher debt to replace the vehicle.

Dee of Sylacauga AL (09/07/06)
Ford F150 caught on fire in parking lot at work. Fire was due to recall of faulty parts (cruise control) Outcome pending.

Harris of Milford MA (09/03/06)
On August 30th 2006 my 2000 Ford F150 burst into flames while parked in my cousins driveway. The truck had been parked there for about 45 minutes.The truck which is paid off is a total loss the police report cited a recalled cruise contol switch.The fire chief then ran his vin number for the towns Ford fire vehicle and found he has the recalled cruise control switch  in his truck and had not yet been notified.

Patsy of Helotes TX (08/21/06)
My 2000 Ford Explorer caught on fire sitting in my garage and burned down the garage and everything in it.

I have good insurance but they will not pay for what burned in the car, all the landscaping that burned, a melted sprinkler system, the rental car until I could buy a new one, and will only pay depreciated value of what I can remember was in the garage. Plus, I've spent 100s of hours running around and on the Internet trying to find costs. My out of pocket will come to about $100,000. I know already this isn't enough to warrant a lawsuit so how do I get my money back?

Stephanie of Hampton VA (08/19/06)
On August 12,2005, I happened to be outside in front of my home, and thank God I was. Smoke spontaneously began to come from under the hood of my 2001 Ford Expedition. As the smoke became more fierce, I imnmediately called the fire department as the truck was parked at the entrance of my garage (luckily not inside). By the time I was off the phone with the fire department, my truck was in full flames, and me and my 4 year old son and 1 year old daughter, ran into the back yard terrified, as the truck appeared as if it were going to blow, and the house with it.

I frantically called the fire department back and asked that they hurry as the truck was in full flames. The siding on my house began to melt and the garage door as well by the time the fire dept. arrived. I heard loud popping sounds as the windows were blowing out and the engine blowing up. It was horrible. The truck was originally purchased by my husband who passed suddenly 10 months prior. Needless to say it held sentimental value as well as a great deal of customizations that he had placed on it as it was a great love of his.

My insurance only offered blue book for the truck and a small amount for my customizations. My truck was paid for, and I now have to take up another car payment, and just the hassle of insurance agents, home insurers, investigtors etc. Ford was not even apologetic. To date I haven't received a letter or anything. I am appalled to read that this same thing has happened to so many others. My fire was also attributed to this cruise switch, but I did not receive the recall notice, nor do I watch the news. I would never buy another Ford, and can't belive the nonchalant attitude they've taken toward families whose lives are being placed at imminent risk daily. I am disgusted at their uncooperative attitude. I'm only thankful that my children and I were not driving at the time. The car had been parked for over two hours when the fire started. Unbelievable!

Audie of Heflin AL (08/18/06)
Our 1998 Crown Victoria caught fire while we were visiting a community church. The fire took place when engine was off. We were contacted several minutes after leaving the vehicle parked outside the church. We were very thankful that we were not in the vehicle with our family. This Crown Vic has recently had a 1999 Mercury Marquis Motor put in it as the 1998 motor with 80000 plus miles locked up. We are very disappointed in the fact that we have had to put so much money in this vehicle to keep it running just to have it catch fire from a possible manufacturing error in electronic wiring due to cruise control or other elements.

Due to the fire we are without a necessary vehicle needed for the family.

Joann of Durand IL (08/18/06)
My 1995 f-150 burnt to the ground after it had not been started for 3 days. My truck that i had just bought 5 months before it burnt to the ground. It hadn't been licensed yet so it wasn't even on the road. I contacted Ford motor co. had to pay tro have it towed to ford and back to my home so they could investigate then told me that there was too much fire damage to tell what caused it. After the fact i found out there was a recall.  I still owe 1 1/2 yr payments on a truck that I've never got to put on the road yet.

Mike of Cottage Grove MN (08/09/06)
5 minutes after i parked my 2003 f 150 in my garage it started on fire and destroyed garage and all contents dont park these trucks close to any structure until fixed the fire investigators said the fire was over 2000 deg.

its been a tough 3 years with my insurance company the fire was july 27 2003 1 1/2 years before the recall ive been accused of arson even though the investigators wrote that the truck was the cause i lost 100,000 plus in tools alone as they argued my contents

Scott of Bloomington MN (08/09/06)
1994 Ford F 150 burned up while sitting in driveway. Paper boy knocked and woke me up at 5 am on 8/5/06 saying truck was on fire. Fire engulfed whole engine compartment then the cab area. Truck is burned out completely.

Work materials (tools, compressors,generator etc) in rear of truck were melted and/or damaged. Garage door was burned on surface. Picket fence sections were burned and a patio canopy was burned. Also a neighbors truck was next to mine and had damage to right side paint and rt front tire, mirror, window, headlight assembly and fender and bumper trim. Also an 18 speed mountain bike was burned and melted.

Earl of Arp TX (08/04/06)
My 1994 Ford Truck blew up ...melted the siding on my house...had not been driven in 2 days...Ford would not do anything about this.

Price of Newport AR (08/04/06)
Our 2000 excursion caught on fire while PARKED in our garage and burned our house to the ground. We were economically devastated as our homeowners insurance was out of force for 3 days!

Matt of Spring Valley CA (07/30/06)
On July 28 I left for work as I usually do. I noticed nothing suspicious as I walk passed our 2000 Expedition.  As I arrived at my office, I receied a frantic phone call from my wife stating the car was on fire and was burning the house. I sped home to find the expedition a total loss and the front of my home totally burnt to a crisp. After reading all the other horror stories I seriously doubt that Ford will step up to the plate and help any of us recall victims..

Pamela of Aiken SC (07/20/06)
Our 2001 Ford F150 caught on fire in a repair shop in Aiken on the night of July 3rd, 2006. Prior to this happening to us we were completely unaware that there was a problem with certain Ford vehicles. I heard today that a Lincoln Navigator(made by Ford) burned a home down in Columbia, SC over the weekend and also a F150 caught on fire in a bank parking lot today in Aiken, SC. Something has to be done to protect everyone...its not just the owners that can be injured.

My truck had not been worked on as it was towed to the shop Friday June 30th and I told the shop owner to wait until after the holiday weekend. My truck ignited on its own and was a total loss. It had blown a 5 amp fuse and we wanted to know why that was happening. The fire also spread to a separate vehicle in the shop and it was also a total loss. The repair shop has been unable to open to this date as we are trying to find out how to get Ford to be responsible since it is a defect in a part that is in certain Ford vehicles. The shop owner can't even get Ford to come look at the vehicle..but we received a letter that the truck could not be moved until they sent someone to 'investigate'.

The shop has suffered over $150,000 worth of damage including all computer systems, roof, etc. There were also several other vehicles in the shop that suffered damage as well. I have spoken with Ford and been told that 'anytime you operate a gasoline powered vehicle with a hot engine to expect a fire'...ok....don't think so....but my engine was not hot...the truck had not been operated in several days.

I also have a Ford 2003 Excursion that has a recall on it...I've just found out....I am terrified to have it near my home or put my children inside of it. Since this has happened to us we have become aware through the internet that this is an ongoing problem with several of the vehicles that Ford makes....and even if you don't own one..it could still affect you if you park near one or your vehicle is in the shop next to one. If you can't assist us, could you tell us where to go to get someone to help us. By the grace of God, our truck was not in our garage or we would have lost our home....as some people have already.

Fortunately for us, we had full insurance coverage on the truck that burned. We are still out our deductible and personal items that were in the truck and items that were installed on the truck such as Flowmaster muffler, european tail lights, and we had just spent over $1300 to service the transmission, install new front and rear rotors, clean the fuel injectors, etc. We would not have spent that on it if we had known this was going to happen. We are also out the use of our 2003 Ford Excursion as I am now afraid to have it near my home or allow my children to ride in it. It is a very expensive lawn ornament. I would like for Ford to buy it back as I can not in good conscience sell it to someone knowing there is a possibility of it catching on fire as well.

Mary Elisa of Pasadena TX (05/01/06)
April 12th, 2006 my husband went into the hospital. I went to the hospital very early before 7:00 a.m. on April 13th due to my husband having surgery.

Around 11:30 to 12:00 noon we were notified in his hospital room that our 1997 expedition had burned. I had never received a recall on the vehicle but on April 29th I received a recall letter in the mail.

The letter has no exact date except April 2006. The envelope does not have a date either. My insurance is still working on my claim. I did not contact Ford since I have insurance but I still do not know how much will be covered.

According to the arson report fire was due to unspecified electrical short in the engine compartment.

My entire vehicle was burned along with items that I had in my vehicle. I have no car and the insurance is taking their time.

Kristina of Huffman TX (05/01/06)
My husband and I bought and paid cash for a 1999 Ford F150. On June 27th, we woke to a loud sond. Looked out window, flames shooting up through hood of truck. Fire dept came out, truck was a total loss. Captain stated appears that fire started by cruise control switch. My 94 Nissan Pathfinder was also damaged next to truck. We are without vehicles. Paid cash, therefore, had liability only which covers neither per adjuster. We are at a loss of what to do.

Called Ford Recall line. His truck was recalled prior to us purchasing in Sept 05. We had no knowledge of this. They said a complaint would be filed with consumer affairs, and that we would receive a letter in 5 to 7 days.

I worked for JPMorgan Chase 10 years and they closed our office. My husband has tried to repair my vehicle enough to get him to work. He lost all of his tools in the truck (ceiling foreman for 15 yrs). I have no vehicle now to get a job. We will probally lose our house. I could get a night time job for now, but my husband works late nights sometimes and no sitter for 2 small children. This has and will hurt us tremendously, as I know this will be a long process. 

Debral of Langhorne PA (04/25/06)
On Easter Sunday afternoon my 1997 Ford Expedition just blew up in my driveway.  Fortunately, my neighbor was outside and saw it and called 911. The fire dept. arrived in 10-15 minutes saving my house and garage!

We were not home when this happened. The truck was not driven at all that day. I did receive the cruise control recall and had it DONE on Feb. 2, 2006.

S of York Region, Canada (04/24/06)
My son was driving our 1991 F-150 Ford when he noticed flames shooting out of the motor area.  By the time he pulled the truck over the flames were coming in around his feet. He then had problems undoing his seat belt.  The flames were worse, but he did manage to get the belt undone and jumped out of the truck.  The truck burned to ashes (or to metal) and there is nothing else left of it. 

So I also had a "flaming ford" as I read over the net that they are now called.

Robert of Akron OH (04/14/06)
I had been in the truck at around about 4:00pm. On April 13, 2006 at 6:30 pm the horn on the truck began to sound off consistently on its own. I looked outside and saw black and yellow smoke bellowing from the hood. I quickly told my wife that truck was on fire and that we had to leave the house. We exited out through the back door. We watched from across the street as the truck burned and caused external damage to the house melting away the vinyl siding and charring the garage door.

The Akron Fire Fighters showed up and contained the fire, took information, and cleared us to return to the house. I had Liability Ins. on the truck -- it's gone and I have no transportation at all now. My homeowners insurance company is dealing with the external damage to my home and I'm sure they are going to want to talk to Ford Motor Corp. about that as well.

Alan of Naugatuck CT (03/29/06)
My 1999 Ford 3500 truck was parked in front of my house for 3 days without being used at 3:a.m. Monday morning I woke up to see my truck fully engulfed in flames. It was a chilly 30 degrees that night.

The fire marshal came in and told me that Ford had recalls because of a live wire that stays hot and starts fires like mine. The next day he inspected the charred truck again and said it was caused by faulty wiring.

I contacted Ford. They sent an inspector a week later and after a few calls they decided to tell me they could not determine the origin of the fire and I was on my own.

I requested a copy of there report and they refused to give it to me. My truck is totaled and I still have eight payments on it. It was my work truck and main way to make my money.

Ford admitted they have a problem to me but then stone walled me when it came down to money.

Gary of Hoodsport WA (03/26/06)
My 1984 ford ranger back fired when I started it up and the carborator caught fire. It was fully engulfed in flames within 2 minutes. It burnt to the ground within 10 minutes. The fire dept. was called and they extinguished the truck leaving only the back tires and bed intact. Pictures are available if requested.

Our loss was not covered by insurance - basic liability. Thanks to fast action and smart thinking the truck was pulled from the garage and burnt to the ground in our driveway.

Scott  of Sacramento CA (03/17/06)
I have a 1998 Ford Expedition. I own a repair shop and take very good care of my vehicles.

I had left my shop and went to a friends house.I was only there for 5 minutes when his wife heard an explosion from out side and had yelled down stairs to us that somthing is on fire.I opened the door and a thick cloud of smoke filled the front of the house.

I then could see flames coming from the driver side hood.I ran out and tried to put the fire out.It was so hot of a flame that it melted a 2 foot hole in the hood. I now find out that a recall has been issued.I have been in the automotive field for over 25 years.

If you own a Ford car or SUV make sure you call your dealer asap and see if you have any recalls on your vehicles. I dont want any one to see any one injured or killed by this recall flaw that Ford has .

So if you have a Ford truck or SUV in the parking lot, don't park next to it .Ford will not help you with any damage caused by this manufacture defect..

So save a life and tell a friend Frds can and will catch fire when you leat expect it. Keep safe and check all manufactures for there defects and call backs before buying this goes for new and used certified or not.

Kristina of Barnhart TX (03/16/06)
I have been reading some postings by people who have had the same problem I've had. I own a l996 Ford F-150 truck or at least I did, because it caught fire on March 10, 2006.

The fire started under the hood when it was being driven. At first something sounded like a pop and the truck died then smoke started coming out from under the hood pretty soon when I opened the door to get out the vehicle was already in flames.

I barely got out when the truck completly went up in flames. My truck was old but so far had been reliable and I was always on top of it being serviced. I do not know what caused the fire.

Joann of Newtown PA (03/09/06)
We had a 1998 Ford F250 series that caught fire due to the cruise control deactivation switch.

The fire burned the truck completely.  It was total loss and burned my car that was parked beside the truck.  The fire caused more than $20,000 damages to my garage and property.

The insurance company is balking and this has cost us a fortune!

When I contacted Ford they said that I have insurance.  We were left with a huge financial burden.

Jennifer of Broken Arrow OK (03/06/06)
I had a 2001 Lincoln Navigator for 2 1/2 years and on October 6, 2005 at 5:00pm a police officer up the street barged in my house screaming my car was on fire and to get out of the house.

I had 13 people in my house that day. Thank God no one was hurt!

My car was totaled. I had no recall information at the time. The firemen said it was all under the hood and told me about the Ford recall. I received the recall letter the day after the fire. I have the envelope with the postmark of October 4, 2005.

Ford will not speak to me. My insurance company paid for most of the damage but not all. I am out of pocket for my rental cal and it has caused me many headaches and time off work.  Ford needs to step up and take care of us.  We bought their car. The finance company paid Ford and they do not care about us.

Ford now stands for Fire On Residential Driveway.  I paid on that car $581.09 a month for 2 1/2 years and that money is just lost. That is so wrong.

Sheila of Fort Washington MA (02/23/06)

 On 10/4/2005 I drove my 2001 Lincoln Navigator to work at Children’s Hospital in Washington DC . I parked in the underground parking garage as I always do. A half hour later I returned to my vehicle to leave for a charity event and found firefighters, security officers and parking attendants surrounding my truck.
 

I was told that my vehicle had caught fire but luckily workers in the garage discovered the fire before the truck became fully engulfed or before any other vehicles became involved. However the truck was still a total loss.

 
I had received a recall notice in the mail 2 days before and had planned to take the truck in the following weekend as the recall notice didn't indicate any immediate danger or urgency. I'm just grateful that the fire was caught early and that no one was hurt. I can't even imagine the chaos and confusion that would have been caused if the vehicle had exploded in garage of a Children’s Hospital in the nation’s capital.

 
The Ford company has been anything but helpful - choosing instead to ignore the situation. No one has contacted me even though I informed them of the fire and the fact that the insurance inspector determined the cause of the fire was the recalled cruise control switch.

 
The insurance company waited months before settling the claim to give Ford the opportunity to inspect the vehicle, which they never did. In the meantime I had to pay out of pocket to rent a car since I didn't have rental coverage. The insurance company finally paid off the book value of the vehicle (which was significantly less than what we owed) as we has just purchased the truck a few months before.

 
Something needs to be done, a class action suit or something. The Ford company should not be allowed to ignore their responsibility in this matter. My opinion of Ford has completely changed. I will never buy another Ford product if they don't redeem their good reputation.

Karin  of Tucson AZ (02/22/06)
My 1985 F 250 4X4 lost the cruise control in December 2002 suddenly while driving down I-15 through Utah.

On March 31, 2003 the engine caught on fire in Saguaro National Park West, destroying everything under the hood, but thanks to the wonderful guy driving behind me who had an auto fire extinguisher, it was eventually put out.

The insurance company refused to do anything because they said it wad Ford's fault. Ford refused to do anything because the truck was too old. I ending up paying $5,200 to have the engine, AC, and everything else under the hood replaced.

The cruise control now works! I have been told that there is nothing I can do!

Laureen Holden of Red Bluff CA (02/22/06)
On October 30th last year I came home after being gone most the day to find that my 1996 Ford F-150 truck had caught on fire.  The truck was parked and not running. The cab was burned completely.

My neighbors had seen the smoke and ran down the hill to try to put the fire out as it was right next to my home and my propane tank. They were unable to save the truck. 

After looking into the cause of why this had happened I found that this truck had a recall on it that Ii was never informed of by the Ford Company.

I did report the fire to ford and to my insurance company. 

Ford kept passing the buck down until I came to someone who ultmately made the decision to say they would not help me out as the truck was too badly burned to know how the fire had started. The insurance company said that because there was a recall on this truck that they would not cover it.

The fire department did make a report saying that is was some type of wiring fault.  After a lot of research on what these trucks do as a result of the recall if not fixed points to just what happened to my truck.  This truck was my late husband's and it was very clean and cared for. The truck was hardly driven in the last 5 years.  I have been going out of my mind trying to go through all the channels to get some help and answers on how to handle this matter with nothing but dead ends.

I am asking for any input that you might have to direct me in the right direction please.

Deborah  of Cocoa FL (02/21/06)
I have contacted Ford Consumer Affairs before and reported my claim of F-250 pickup catching on fire. It has been over a year now and the recall has been specified for the F-250 that I own. I have taken the truck to the local dealer to get an estimate of the damage and to no avail.  The Ford dealership said who is going to pay for the estimate? It has been such a run-a-round I do not know where to go from here. It is going back and forth like a see-saw. I bought the truck in good faith and took care of it..

Mehdi Rezazadeh of Danville CA (02/14/06)
The 1997 F 150 parked for 3 days in my driveway caught fire. Tomorow I will call NHTSA and Ford. I think it was the cruise control heating up when parked.  Thanks god it was parked in my gated driveway and not inside my house.

Mehdi of Danville CA (02/14/06)
The 1997 F 150 parked for 3 days in my driveway caught fire. Tomorow I will call NHTSB and Ford, I think it was the cruise control heating up when parked.

David of San Antonio TX (02/10/06)
On Jan. 10 at 2:00 a.m., my son awoke us to tell me our 2000 Ford F-150 was on fire.  We called the fire department and used a hose til they arrived. My truck was a total loss.  It was my business truck.  My tools are in the back yard and I have not worked in a month.  No answer from Ford.

My truck is still parked in front of my door at home, 12 feet away.  Thank God, our house did not burn.  My bank account is empty and my payments are behind on the truck.  I cannot even focus somedays.  it is always the little guy that gets the ... you know what.

Lee of Chapel Hill NC (02/09/06)
The same cruise control/brake switch part failure causing fires in F-150 trucks is used on 95 Windstars. I experienced a fire in the connection from corrossion and leaking within the switch. There were no indications that a dangerous fire causing leak was occuring. There was no leaking brake fluid anywhere. Fortunately, due to wet weather and cold temperatures the fire was contained to the switch plug and wires. Had the failure occured in summer rather than February, we would have lost the vehicle to a fire, perhaps while driving at highway speed.

I went to the local dealer and informed them what happened and requested the warranty for F-150 models be used to cover this obvious failure. The customer Rep at the Dealer (Univeristy Ford) was very helpful and called the local (Atlanta, GA) area Ford Rep who declined the request. The danger here is that there are thousands of 95 Windstars transporting children and driven by unsuspecting Moms and Dads that are at risk of death from the fire that will erupt due to these failing switches.  Rather than limiting to certain models, Ford should be replacing these switches in every model that used the switch.

Ivan of Liberty KS (02/06/06)
I own a 1996 Ford F150. On 12-06-05 about 7:45pm my wife heard an explosion and looked outside our home to see our Ford truck on fire and called 911. We called Ford and sent pics. of our Ford F150. Ford replied after looking at pics. said the pick-up was burnt to bad they would not be able to tell where fire started. I also have a copy of fire report. It stated: "upon arrival we found a ford pick-up with the engine comp. fully enveloped in fire with the cab suffering extreme heat and smoke damage".

Also: "the fire had been very intense on the left side of the engine, heat from the vehicle also did damage to another vehicle parked near it". I later found out about the faulty  cruise control switch.

Mary of Liberty Hill TX (02/02/06)
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. The fire was extinguished with the garden hose, but not before it did damage to the new 2006 (3 week new) vehicle sitting next to it.

It also melted the vinyl siding on the house, which is only 4 years old. Shortly after the fire was out, the fire department got there and put out any remaining smoke. They also went inside the house looking for heat that may have been inside the walls, since the truck was parked less than 10 feet from the house, and it did damage to the exterior.

Linda of Newnan GA (02/02/06)
My 2003 F-150 caught fire in my driveway on Tuesday 1/31/06 at approx. 7:45pm. It is totally destroyed. I am waiting for my insurance claim adjuster to contact me. Is there anything more I can do. I contacted my Ford dealership and there were no recalls on my car. Any help is greatly appreciated. My truck was only 2 1/2 years old and I owe 14,500.00 on it.  It is totally destroyed and a melted mess sitting in my driveway. Is FORD doing anything to help all of the people that their truck catch on fire?

Steve of Hilton Head Island SC (02/02/06)
On January 26, 2006 at 3am in 33-degree weather our 1998 Ford Explorer exploded in flames causing my 1994 Buick Century to go up in flames. Both cars were in the driveway for 15 hours due to our family having a stomach flu and not leaving the house for anything. The fire investigator ruled the fire as "unknown causes" although he states that the fire started in the engine of the Explorer and no arson or foul play was involved. Both cars were totalled.

Sue of Greenville NC (01/30/06)
It seems awful odd how Ford can recall a part on nearly 1 million vehicles for a definate fire hazard, but just because I purchased the vehicle that only sells approx. 5000 a year (Excursion) they will not recall it. It is the same part number and everything, that is in the Pick-up trucks. My vehicle was very close to having a major & Dangerous fire last Friday. The only thing that saved us, was a slight burning smell prior to us leaving the parking lot. FORD MUST CLEAN UP THE ACT.

Johnny of Easley SC (01/24/06)
we came back from a concert on Saturday Jan 21 and parked our 1998 Ford Explorer in the driveway. We were back home at about 11pm. On Sunday Jan 22 we were awakened at 8:30 am by a banging on our front door. It was the fire dept. Guess what? The Explorer was ablaze. It had been sitting for 9 hours.

Brad of Goodlettsville TN (01/24/06)
3:00 AM my wife woke up to the sound of my F-350 tire exploding and my truck being engulfed in flames. Fire marshall could not give any reasons because of the extent of the damage. Truck had been sitting still and not running for 9 hours.

Brad of Parrish AL (01/05/06)
My 98 explorer had been in my driveway for about five hours since last being driven. I heard a noise, went outside and it was in flames from under the hood. The fire started just infront of the brake master cylinder. It is a total loss.

Josh of Corona CA (12/20/05)
The truck was parked in the driveway @ 7:30 pm. Around 12:15 am, My wife heard a loud popping noise and what sounded like a banging type crash. She thought a car had crashed out in front of the house, so she looked out the window and saw the truck with flames coming out from under the hood. We called the fire dept. and sprayed water on our eaves until they arrived. I will need to replace the eaves above the garage, garage doors, several items in the garage that melted or burned as well as work tools and all personel items from the truck. I will also have to re-paint my house due to the fire and smoke from the truck going across the front of my house above the garage.

The fire investigator reports that the fire started under the hood. I contacted the Ford dealer where I have purchased 5 trucks in the past year! When asked about recalls or if this was covered under warranty due to the year of the truck and where the fire started, they responded that there is NO recall, and they would not cover anything under warranty???? This is actually the second Ford truck in about six months that I have had catch fire????? The first was an F-350 that I used as one of my work trucks. That fire actually stared while the truck was being driven back to my shop from a job. The fire dept. stated the fire had also started under the hood in the engine compartment.

I had no idea that there were any issues with Ford trucks and fires. Had I known, I would have never turned the first truck into my insurance carrier without raising questions regarding possible faulty parts as a cause of damage.

Anthony of Rochester NY (12/15/05)
We have a Ford Explorer and my daughter came home from Nazareth College on Wdnesday, December 14, 2005, around 1:00pm. I was on vacation from work, so I was home. We had lunch and began wrapping Christmas presents,when I heard a puff sound around 2:45pm. I looked outside to find that the Ford Explorer was on fire.

The car had been sitting, unattained for an hour and a half in our driveway. Shocked at what happened, we went on the internet to find that this is a known accurance that Ford has documentation of. Other customers had the same incident happen to them with unattended Ford SUV's. We would like to know what to do.

Troy of Pascagoula MS (12/05/05)
My 1997 Ford F-150  caught on fire in my front yard.  My family and I were out of town that weekend.  The fire started on the driver's side firewall under the hood.  It destroyed the truck, needless to say.  The Fire Department evacuated our street in case the fire reached the fuel tank.  Luckily, the truck was not that close to the house.

We had just paid off that truck and had just dropped the full coverage, leaving only liability.  We contacted Ford and received a letter from them, basically starting there were no recalls on the vehicle and it was not their problem.  I don't understand how a huge company like Ford can make vehicles that catch on fire and burn to nothing and have no liability whatsoever.

Grant of Albuquerque NM (12/01/05)
On the 21st of July, 2006 my Ford f-150 caught fire under the hood on the driver’s side. The truck had been parked for 18 hours! My neighbor and I managed to keep the fire under control until the fire department showed up and put the fire out. I have talked to Ford representatives repeatedly and they have strung me along for months now. I am under the impression that they will continue to drag this out until I give up and go away.

I have been told by other attorneys that my case is not worth enough money because there was no property damage and no personal injury. It is unfair that even though Ford knew about the problem they are unwilling to make amends to those who lost vehicles to this design flaw. I am glad house did not burn down but that does not change the fact that Ford owes me a new truck or compensation for the one that was destroyed.

Kelly of Brunswick GA (11/17/05)
My son's 1996 Ford F-150 caught on fire on August 31, 2005 after we had driven it to the gas station and back to his Grandparents home - approx 2 miles. The fire department came but the truck was completely destroyed in the engine area, tires, cabin. I received a recall approximately 2 - 3 days after this occurred. I contacted the ford company and they told me to have the car towed to the Ford dealership and they would have an investigator come out.

The Ford company called me 3 days later and informed me that according to the pictrues that were sent to them - the damage was too extensive to determine that it was a manufactured defect therefore they could not help me.

Jack of South Vienna OH (11/16/05)
On August 30th 2005 Our 1995 Ford F150 caught fire after sitting in the driveway for 3 days. My son was awoke by a sizzling sound -- he looked out his bedroom window and saw flames shooting about 6 feet in the air. We called the Fire Dept. I tried to put out the fire with the garden hose with no luck. By the time the Fire Dept. arrived the whole engine had burned. I called my insurance company and it was not covered by Auto or Home Owners.

I did some research on line and discovered there had been a problem with fires on my year and make of Truck. I then called Ford and they gave me the runaround and acted like they did not know anything about fires happening to their vehicles. After some persistance, Ford had me have my truck towed at my expense to our local dealer. They told us an "Expert" would examine it.The only thing they did was take pictures and e-mail them to Ford in Dearborn.

What a runaround. It seems funny that 2 days after our fire we received the recall notice. Then when I called the recall phone number they did not have much to say but took another report. Ford has cost us a lot of money. I wonder if Tobie Keith would still represent FORD if he knew how FORD was treating their customers! Not the AMERICAN way!!!

Paul of Wanship UT (11/16/05)
I had a 2000 Ford F-150 burn up while parked due to a fire in the engine compartment. Now they admit to a problem with the cruise control switch, which has caused at least 500 F-150s to catch fire, resulting in a huge recall. But now, even after the recall, they won't accept responsibility for my truck

Tameeka of Jacksonville TEXAS (11/02/05)
My husband works for the City of Jacksonville. He drove a 2000 F-250 home in the evenings. On August 10, 2005, the truck caught fire and burned my 2002 Chevy Trailblazer and 2 rooms of our home. We have filed the claim on my insurance, but we are having so much trouble getting our lives back in order. How do I make sure Ford is held responsible for this fire?

Daniel of Naples FL (11/02/05)
On January 3rd of 2005 my wife's 2001 F-150 Super crew caught fire and burned to the ground, a TOTAL loss. Through my misfortune my insurance had lapsed. Ford's position was "turn it into your insurance". After 17 attempts to get them to understand I did not have insurance, they advised me to sue them. In Florida you cannot recoup attorneys fees so I could spend 10 to 20 thousand to get a 20 thousand dollar judgement, what a deal.

I have been making payments on a vehicle that is a total loss, can not drive it, just look at it and smell the horror.

Leah of Manhattan KS (10/17/05)
My 97 Ford F-150 had an under-hood electrical fire in front of my son's school while it was parked. No CHILDREN,  vehicles or property was damaged and no one was in it. I just had the truck repaired the day before to try to find out why the fuse controlling the power steering and ac unit was always shorting out. While I watched my truck burn, the school's staff said Ford was having trouble with under-hood fires and I remembered I just got a recall letter about something about the power steering so when I got home I read it again and found myself the victim of the recall.

I did not have a chance to get the truck into the dealership to fix the problem and frankly I wouldn't accept the way they chose to fix it. I never have dealerships work on my vehicles when they are out of warranty because I never get the best price or workmanship so I take it to other qualified mechanics and I am much happier with their work. After the accident, I was going to get another F-150 but not after I read about all the hardships and losses so many people have suffered. I also suffered because I wasn't ready to get rid of this truck yet and I was faced with the sudden need to purchase another vehicle -- an expense I didn't plan for.

Where did Ford's quality go? My grandmother had an old Ford pickup with a straight-6 engine and it never died and I can't tell you the year but this thing is old. My truck wasn't made up to the standards that Ford used to have and frankly I do not trust them to make anything worth buying due this under-hood fire hazard. A truck is supposed to be made to last for years and be a good workhorse for the family that owns them.

Like so many other people I called Ford to tell them the news and they suggested my insurance co will handle the claim however I only had liability on the truck because of its age so I am not getting reimbursed for this loss. The day after the fire I told a neighbor who also had an F-150 about the fire problem and he said he had it fixed 6 months ago but that his Dad lost a Ford Bronco to an electrical fire. So there is defiantly a pattern here that needs to be looked into.