WASHINGTON – Ford Motor Co. began sending recall notices last month to owners of 3.6 million vehicles with a type of cruise control switch that has been linked to hundreds of vehicle and garage fires.
The notices represent Ford's sixth recall involving the switches. The first, in 1999, included about 263,000 vehicles.
Combined, The six recalls will cover 10.4 million cars and trucks. Officials at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration say that if they had been done at one time, the repairs would have been the biggest recall ever.
Ford spokesman Dan Jarvis said the latest round is different from earlier ones. Ford is conducting the recall to reassure owners of older cars and trucks with the switches that they will be safe for the long term and not because a rash of fires has occurred, Jarvis said.
The repairs will be well short of 10.4 million vehicles, Jarvis said. As with any recall, not every vehicle owner returns for the repair, and some vehicles are out of service.
In addition to the latest Ford announcement, Mazda North American Operations is recalling 76,000 B2300, B3000 and B4000 pickups built for the 1998-2002 model years because of cruise control switch problems.
The switch repair includes installation of a fused wiring harness. Currently, fluid can leak onto electrical connections and cause a fire, NHTSA said.
Jarvis said Ford believes the latest recall will end the long saga of the switches. Others aren't so sure.
About 5 million more Ford Motor Co. vehicles are on the road with the cruise control deactivation switches, which are supplied by Texas Instruments. Those switches are configured differently from the ones that have been recalled. They are not part of a system in which electrical current is on even when the vehicle is turned off, sources say.
The switches that are not being recalled could fail, but the danger is lower, said Sean Kane, president of Safety Research & Strategies Inc., a Rehoboth, Mass., firm that consults with trial lawyers, engineers and suppliers.
Kane said fires that the remaining switches might cause likely would occur while people are driving, enabling them to pull over and get out, rather than burning unexpectedly in garages, perhaps while home occupants are sleeping.
“It is amazing that this problem has strung along for as many years as it has,” Kane said.
Some repairs involve parts replacement, but a sufficient supply of parts may not be available at all dealerships. It is best to contact the dealer of your choice to schedule an appointment.
