Florida Firefighters Chronicle Ford Fires. National Epidemic?
After clocking Ford's expanded recall for faulty cruise control systems (that could lead to vehicle fires), Florida's St. Petersburg Times asked local firefighters if they'd seen any evidence of Ford F-150s going up in smoke. Indeed they have. Pasco County fire investigator Don Campbell says he started noticing the problem about two years ago. "It's a staggering number now," Campbell said. "It probably averages about one a week in Pasco County." Hillsborough County fire investigator Dave Tucker also said he'd seem a rising number of incidents in recent months: "This has been a long-standing problem." Tucker described fires that burned a hole through the F-150's hood "the size of a basketball." While not exactly a scientific survey, if this pattern is repeated nationwide and receives more of the same sort of local coverage, Ford is facing another Explorer rollover-style PR debacle. Meanwhile, if you could call you local fire department and ask about their experience with F-150 fires and report back below, TTAC would be much obliged.
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Don't they have enough problems keeping customers now they are trying to kill what's left of them.
I'm an electrical engineer and one basic safety principle is that no live circuit should be left unprotected by a fuse or circuit breaker. Sometimes such protection is cheap and easy to provide and sometimes it is more costly, but it is always essential. Fortunately home and industrial wiring always is required to conform to this principle. Why automobiles aren't is a mystery to me.
Our Ford’s alternator would catch fire when the air conditioner cycled on. We’re talking foot-high flames! We replaced three OEM alternators and spent serious money on A/C repairs without finding a solution. Unable in good conscience to foist a five passenger furnace on anybody, we scrapped it. Ford refused to warranty an overheating headlight switch notwithstanding a recall on other Ford products with the identical switch. We replaced it at our cost rather than risk a fire, a surprisingly expensive repair. Ford refused a warranty replacement for a headlight that filled with water claiming it was normal condensation, relenting only after the government inquired about our complaint pointing out the other headlight was condensation-free. By 12,000-miles the car consumed a quart of oil every 500-miles. Normal said Ford! The lemon law arbitrator ordered repairs at Ford’s cost. Nonetheless the swine unsuccessfully attempted to weasel out of complying. Is the widespread belief import brands provide a better quality car and superior customer care erroneous as the Detroit-3 would have us believe? I don’t think so.