Ford is expanding its largest recall ever over a faulty switch that has lead to at least 550 vehicle fires and many complaints.
The recall concerns cruise-control deactivation switches, made by Texas Instruments that were installed in 16 million Fords over a decade before Ford stopped using them in 2002. This new announcement of an additional 4.5 million vehicles being recalled brings the total to more than 14 million vehicles in eight separate recalls over a 10-year period. Part of the recall includes nearly 1.1 million 1995-2003 Ford Windstar vans.
“Ford is making a safety-related defect determination for the Windstar vehicles,” James Vondale, director of Ford’s automotive safety office, said in the letter. “We have not made a safety-related defect determination for the other vehicles included in this recall, but are including them to avoid any future concerns related to a potential fire risk resulting from the Texas Instruments (switch) either from the agency or from our customers.”
The switch that is being recalled deactivates the cruise control once the driver presses down on the brake pedal.
The recall now includes:
• 1995-2003 model year Ford Windstar
• 2000-2003 Ford Excursion diesel
• 1993-1997 and 1999-2003 Ford F-Super Duty diesel;
• 1992-2003 Ford Econoline
• 1995-2002 Ford Explorer and Mercury Mountaineer
• 1995-1997 and 2001-2003 Ford Ranger
• 1994 Ford F53 Motor home vehicles equipped with the Texas Instruments speed control deactivation.
Full Story: Detroit News
