Ford Fires Lead to Recall of 4.5M Vehicles Due to Faulty Cruise Control

Ford Motor Co. has recalled 4.5 million vehicles due to a faulty cruise control deactivation switch, which may cause the vehicles to catch fire even when turned off.

The Ford recall, announced earlier this week, is the largest recall in the company’s history, and the eighth recall connected to the cruise control deactivation switch. To date, 16 million vehicles have been affected by a Ford cruise control recall, making it the overall largest automotive recall in history.

The switches, manufactured by Texas Instruments, can leak hydraulic fluid, which can get into the antilock brake system, heat up, and ignite, setting the vehicle on fire even when it is not running. The problem was identified in 1.1 million Windstar minivans. Ford said it was recalling all remaining vehicles that also have the switch as a precaution.

The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) has received reports of 285 fires. There is one possible fatality related to the defect, but no positive link between the death and the defective switch has been established. Ford stopped using the Texas Instruments switches in vehicles made after 2003.

The Ford cruise control recall includes 1995-2003 Windstar minivans, 1992-2003 Econoline vans, 2000-2003 Excursion SUVs, 1995-2002 Explorer SUVs, 1993-1997 and 19999-2003 F-Series Super Duty pickup trucks, 1994 F53 motor-home, 1995-1997 and 2001-2003 Ranger pickup trucks, and 1995-2002 Mercury Mountaineer SUVs.

Ford will begin notifying affected owners on October 26. The vehicles can be repaired at a Ford dealership free of charge.

NHTSA warned that owners of affected vehicles should watch for cruise control malfunctions, brake light warnings on the dashboard, and problems getting the vehicle out of park. Ford recommended that the vehicles be parked outdoors until they can be repaired at a Ford dealership.

The recall is the second major recall in less than a month. In late September, a Toyota floor mat recall impacted 3.8 million Toyota and Lexus vehicles, as a result of problems where the driver’s side floor mat was causing the accelerator pedals to get stuck and accelerate the vehicle out of control.