This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
After sitting in the driveway for aprox 9 hours, the engine area caught on fire at 4am. Speculation is the cruise control switch ignited and caused the fire. The front end of the vehicle is completely destroyed, as is the interior with smoke damage.
The contact owns a 1998 Ford Explorer. While parked he saw smoke and flames underneath of the hood of his vehicle. The dealer was contacted, and he was advised to bring the vehicle into the dealer. The speed control wiring harness had melted ; which caused fluid to leak. No repairs were made. He then received a letter for recall campaign id number: 09V399000 (vehicle speed control). The manufacturer will contact him with a response within a fifteen day period. The failure and current mileages were 155000.
While accelerating from a complete stop, the gas pedal snapped off and fell to the floor of the car. We were able to coast out of the intersection where it happened. Once stopped we discovered that the welds that held the petal to the fire-wall (I believe that is what the mechanic later called it) had broken. The mechanic was able to bolt the pedal back on. While there were no injuries, or irreparable damage to the car, it could have been a far more dangerous situation, as we were headed for a busy highway at the time. We feel Ford should be aware of this incident, take responsibility for the cost of repair, and take steps to prevent this from happening in the future.
The contact owns a 1998 Ford Explorer. The contact received a recall notice for NHTSA campaign id number 06V286000 (vehicle speed control), but did not take the vehicle to the dealer for repair. She was awakened by a neighbor informing her that the vehicle was on fire. The entire front wiring system was melted. An investigator from the fire department speculated that the cruise control was the cause of the failure. The contact has pictures of the failed incident and she is in the process of notifying the manufacturer. The failure and current mileages were unknown.
The contact owns a 1998 Ford Explorer. The contact heard a huge explosion coming from her driveway and noticed that the vehicle was engulfed in flames. The vehicle was destroyed. There were no warning signs prior to the failure. The contact called the fire department and they extinguished the fire. The cause of the failure was undetermined. A police report was filed. She called her insurance company and is in the process of notifying the manufacturer. The failure mileage was 143,000. Updated 03/17/09. Updated 03/17/09.
- House Springs, MO, USA
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The contact owns a 1998 Ford Explorer. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer to be repaired according to NHTSA campaign id number 06V286000 (vehicle speed control). After the repair, the speed control no longer worked. A private mechanic also stated that the wiring inside the column, which connected to the air bag, was melted and caused the air bags to malfunction. The contact returned to the dealer with the report from the mechanic. The dealer denied the free repair request and stated that the repair would not be covered under the recall. The dealer also stated that to remedy the issue, the contact would have to pay $2,500 to replace the wiring, air bags, and the part used for the speed control repair. The manufacturer has not yet been notified. The current mileage was approximately 158,000 and failure mileage was approximately 157,000.
1998 Ford Explorer spontaneously caught fire in engine compartment 8am, 12/02/08. Car was previously driven 12 hours prior to incident. Engine was not running. Doors were locked. No signs of entry prior to incident. Fire engulfed engine and spread to passenger compartment before alameda fire department extinguished vehicle. Insurance company has claimed vehicle as totaled and is investigating. Suspected cause is cruise control shutoff switch, subject to Ford recall 05S28.
The contact owns a 1998 Ford Explorer. While parked in the driveway, the vehicle caught fire without warning. A family member safely extinguished the fire. The vehicle was completely destroyed. The contact has a copy of the report from the fire department. The manufacturer stated that her vehicle was included in NHTSA campaign id number 06V286000 (vehicle speed control); however, they would not assume financial responsibility because the component already failed. The contact stated that she never received a recall notice in the mail. As of October 14, 2008, she has not received a remedy for the failure. The failure mileage was 160,000.
I had a 1998 2dr Ford Explorer that caught on fire for no reason at my job on June 17, 2008. It was a under the hood fire. I arrived at work at 8:26 a.M. a couple of minutes after 11:00 a.M. is when the building manager knocked on my door and told me the fire department was looking for me because my truck had caught on fire. The car ended up being a total loss. Everything on the inside was severely smoke damaged. My radio melted and I loss certain paper work that I had in my glove compartment. My heater cord was left on the ground along with some other wires after the tow truck towed my truck away. That's how burned up my truck was.
The contact owns a 1998 Ford Explorer. While parked at the contact's job, the vehicle began smoking and then caught fire under the hood. Everything under the hood was melted. The contact did not know if the vehicle was destroyed. When he called the dealer, he was informed that there was no safety recall pertaining to his VIN; therefore, he would be responsible for the repair costs. NHTSA campaign id number 00V422000 (vehicle speed control) was referenced. The correct incident date was unavailable. The current and failure mileages were 149,382.
The contact owns a 1998 Ford Explorer. While parking his vehicle (2 mph), the vehicle surged forward and crashed into the wall of the parking structure while the brake was depressed. The contact stated that the vehicle would not stop until he shut off the engine. The current and failure mileages were 150,000. The purchase date was unavailable.
My wife's 1998 Ford Explorer XLT caught on fire while parked right in front of my kid's school, she drove for 1 mile from our house to the school to pick up my kid, luckily it didn't burn in the garage. The fire according to the fire department looks like it started around the brakes master cylinder under the hood directly in front of the driver and according to the burn marks on the hood looks like it was there where it burned the hottest, the whole engine compartment burned and luckily the fire dptm is real close so it didn't burn completely. Upon investigation on the internet I came to know about a safety recall for these vehicles involving the cruise control switch that is located by the brake master cylinder and that can result on fire, so I strongly believe that this incident is a consequence of this recall that I had no idea of. The vehicle is totaled and now we are struggling without our primary family vehicle, I'm just thankful that my family and my house are safe.
The contact owns a 1998 Ford Explorer. While driving 5 mph into the garage at the repair shop, the vehicle accelerated and crashed into a wall. The dealer stated that the throttle failed and referenced NHTSA campaign number 00V422000 (vehicle speed control). The current and failure mileages were 37,000.
The contact owns a 1998 Ford Explorer. The contact received recall notice # 06V286000 (vehicle speed control). She called the dealer to schedule an appointment for the repair and the dealer asked if any failures had occurred. The contact stated that the engine and ABS warning light indicators had illuminated. The dealer then stated that there would be a service charge of $100. When the dealer was told to only service the vehicle for the recall, they stated that the $100 service fee would still apply. The mileage information was unknown.
The contact owns a 1998 Ford Explorer. While driving in reverse with a trailer attached, the vehicle accelerated at full speed. The contact stated that there were recalls for this year, make, and model, however he was never contacted about the recall. The manufacturer offered to sale him another vehicle. The vehicle's entire rear end is damaged, the trailer is completely destroyed, and the boat that was parked in his yard now has a hole. The current and failure mileages were 110,000.
On March 29, 2007, my wife drove our 1998 Ford Explorer XLT to a doctors appointment at 9:00 a.M. and then to her work location. At 9:36 a.M., my wife parked the Explorer, turned the engine off and went into work. At 10:50 a.M, my wife was notified by an employee from another business that the Explorer was smoking. At that time, my wife noticed that the engine compartment started burning on the driver's side. The firefighters were summoned to the scene. Upon their arrival, my wife noticed that the entire engine compartment was on fire and there was a cloud of dark heavy smoke. The firefighters were able to extinguish the fire and confine the fire damage to the engine compartment. The interior compartment was saturated with smoke. The county fire marshall was contacted and advised us that similar spontaneous engine compartment fires in Ford trucks and SUVS have been linked to a defective cruise control deactivation switch and that Ford is currently recalling vehicles with those defective switches. The fire marshall indicated that this engine fire may have potentially been attributable to a defective or faulty cruise control deactivation switch. The firefighters documented the incident. Upon being apprised of the recall. We researched the issue and confirmed that Ford is conducting a recall of vehicles with defective and faulty cruise control switches and that the vehicles being recalled include the 1998 Ford Explorer. However, we have not received any notification of the recall from Ford Motor Company and/or its affiliated dealerships. We contacted Ford Motor Company customer relations to register a complaint and inform them of the engine fire. We also contacted our insurance company to file a claim. To clarify the questions following this narrative, the county sheriff's office was contacted they did not need to generate a report in light of the firefighters incident report. Additionally, the only property damage was to the vehicle itself.
Last night I pulled into my driveway after coming home from work, my family had dinner and I was sitting down in the living room to play with my 2 year old son. I heard a popping sound and asked my wife what was that noise, she looked out the window and yelled your car is on fire ! my car burned to the ground!!!
- the contact stated that after the 1998 Ford Explorer had been sitting for more than 30 minutes she proceeded to drive when the accelerator pedal felt stuck. Constant pressing on the gas pedal will release it, but in the process the vehicle lunges forward with great force. Updated 2/27/2007 -the vehicel was taken to the dealer who cleaned the throttle body. The problem has not returned.
1998 Explorer caught on fire to a defect with the vehicle. The consumer received a recall regarding a possible problem with the speed control switch, which could cause a fire.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Lutz, FL, USA