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September 29, 2006
NY TIMES TAKES INSIDE LOOK AT FORD SWITCH FIRE PROBE
It took NHTSA two years and considerable frustration before it finally reached its recent conclusions about the defective, fire-causing Ford cruise control switch, a New York Times in-depth article reports. “The $20 switch, which shuts off the cruise control when a driver taps the brakes, became the subject of one of the most exhaustive and complex investigations in the agency's history. It created an expensive and embarrassing problem for the Ford Motor Company, which initially disputed suggestions that the switches were starting fires. When the repairs are made to the last of 6.7 million potentially defective switches, the Ford recall may be the second largest in United States history.”
The Times said that after an investigation that involved collecting damaged cruise control switches from across the country, installing them in Ford vehicles and waiting for them to cause fires, the agency determined that the phenomenon causing the defect was creation of a small vacuum when the driver let up on the brakes. “The force of that vacuum, investigators determined, was weakening a seal in the switches installed in millions of Ford pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles. With the plastic seal broken down, brake fluid was able to leak onto the electrical side of the switch and cause corrosion. Over time, that corrosion can build up, causing the switch to overheat and ignite an electrical fire.”
Ford's response to the fires -- first refusing to acknowledge that the switches posed a fire hazard, then conducting four recalls over seven years -- angered fire victims and consumer advocates, the Times said. “It does not hurt their cases that Ford was accused of dragging its feet in other high-profile recalls.”
Cars and trucks recalled for repair of speed-control deactivation switches are listed in the article as the 1994-2002 Ford F-150, Ford Expedition, Ford Bronco Lincoln Navigator and Lincoln Blackwood; 1994-2002 Ford F-250 through F-550 Super Duty trucks; 2000-2 Ford Excursion; 1994-96 Ford Econoline vans; 1996-2002 E-450 Econoline vans; 1998 Ford Explorer and Mercury Mountaineer, and 1992-93 Ford Crown Victoria, Lincoln Town Car and Mercury Grand Marquis.
A copy of NHTSA’s detailed report of the defect investigation is available from the agency in pdf format.
Posted by MVHAP at September 29, 2006 11:59 AM