Faulty cruise control switch made by Texas Instruments may cause fire in Windstar, even with engine off...other cars recalled as a preventative measure:

The recall covers 1.1 million Ford Windstar minivans that had a small risk of fire due to internal leaking from the switches. Ford said in a letter to federal regulators that it found a small number of reported fires linked to the problem during an internal investigation that began last year, but did not specify how many.

Read the whole story here:
Ford adds 4.5 million vehicles to switch recall - Autos- msnbc.com

 

I believe they had a similar problem in the F-150 P/U and several SUV models as well a couple of years back.

 

Found On Road Dead

 

i remember my buddy's dad's taurus burned up for no reason while parked on the driveway...that was like back in the early 90's.

since that day i always thought fords just burn up for no reason...and this recall
came reconfirming...

 

I have a Windstar parked next to me. Assigned parking. It sucks.

 

Put a big recall notice on their car lol!

Glad we have a big open parking lot at work.

 

i wonder if this affects jags and mazduh's....

 

The recall covers the following model years:
1995-2003 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;
1995-2002 Mercury Mountaineer;
1995-1997 and 2001-2003 Ford Ranger;
and 1994 Ford F35 Motorhome vehicles.

 

Doesn't bode well for Ford...

I've heard stories of an Escape burning up here as soon as it got to a gas station. :o

I wonder if the Fiesta's going to be as susceptible? A shame if it will be...

 

It's OLDER cars, not new models. It was a single part. It's the truck-style vehicles.

Sometimes flaws don't show up for YEARS, as was the case with these vehicles.

Sort of like FDA things with drugs or devices.

Thalidomide:
Thalidomide - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Dalkon Shield:
Dalkon Shield - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Ford is certainly doing the right thing by recalling all vehicles that are related to play it safe. That is admirable. And undoubtedly costly for them. They aren't exactly swimming in money at this point.

Rather than thinking of it as being BAD for Ford, it shows they are willing to do the right thing and protect their customers when a problem arises, YEARS after the fact.

I think that's a GOOD thing.

 

I'd rather not talk directly to that guy. But I did chat with someone at the grocery store, let them know about their Windstar. They didn't know. The young man was going to let his mum know when they got home.

Most of the vehicles probably will NOT catch on fire, and was not a source of worry before. Nevertheless, once there IS a known problem, it becomes more important for safety reasons.

No matter who it is, I don't want them to burn up in flames. Nor do I want their property damaged (like if the vehicle is in their home garage). I certainly don't want my vehicle damaged, being parked next to one. And even if the vehicle is on the street, it could damage whatever is parked next to it. No matter WHERE it's parked.

Second, it's now a KNOWN problem, but how many other vehicles have unknown potentially defective parts that could do the same thing? It might be some special circumstances that causes a problem.

Ford Pinto, no problem if the Pinto bashed into someone else. Right? It had to be rear-ended for the problem to make itself known...and it was known...
1971 Ford Pinto - The 50 Worst Cars of All Time - TIME

But I think (mostly hope) that the cost-benefit analysis that left those vehicles on the road is part of Ford's very distant past.

Toyota may be in a worse position:
Toyota Lawsuit: Remember the Ford Pinto? | The Big Money

Safety is a two-part awareness.
1. If there are reasons to doubt the safety, observe those reasons.
2. If there are no reasons to doubt the safety, realize that the danger may not have been cataloged, observed, measured yet.