Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: spontaneous vehicle combustion

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Posted by Chris Hipp (Member # 1788) on 09-01-2006, 09:16 PM:

Well, my truck randomly burst into flames today. I was inside talking on the phone and I started to hear a low rumble and then I heard a loud POP (probably a tire blowing out.) I looked outside and the whole front end was in flames. The neighbors saw it when it first caught on fire and immediately called the fire department and they arrived in about 5 minutes. Except for the bed, rear end and maybe the tranny, the truck is scrap metal.

The fire inspector thinks that it was probably caused be the cruise control switch shorting out and catching the brake fluid reservoir on fire. Apparently this is a common problem on 90's model fords (and some late model). So if you drive a ford take it in RIGHT AWAY and make sure your model is not affected.

I will get pics up sometime tonight or tomorrow.

Posted by Donna Siegwart (Member # 3232) on 09-01-2006, 09:19 PM:

Common? Oh dear. At least you weren't in it when that happened. What are you going to do about a vehicle?

Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 09-01-2006, 09:21 PM:

Now what did I tell you about FORDs???

At least you've got the bike to get around on as a temporary means of transportation. Very sorry to hear about the truck though. Make sure your next one isn't a Ford! [Razz]

Posted by Chris Hipp (Member # 1788) on 09-01-2006, 09:56 PM:

As much as I hate to admit it Brad, but you do have a tendency to be right.

To Donna, I have an old motorcyle that I can ride around until I find another car. It is nothing great but it can get me to and from work.

Posted by Randy Stankey (Member # 64) on 09-01-2006, 10:08 PM:

There are several models of Ford vehicles that do this. Some are cars. Some are trucks. Sometimes it's the cruise control module as happened with you. Other times it's the ballast resistor in the steering collumn.

Both of these are well-known failures. They've known it for years.

Frankly, there is no American car, currently on the market that I would even consider buying.

Posted by Chad M Calpito (Member # 3736) on 09-01-2006, 10:55 PM:

Well, Chris, at least you are still alive. That's good to know. Personally, I've had it with Fords, especially after putting $2,500 into engine repairs. So, good luck to you in getting a better car.

Posted by Phil Hill (Member # 371) on 09-01-2006, 11:10 PM:

Well, well, well, well ANOTHER pissing contest thread about which vehicle mfg is better... sorta like the "Which projector is best?" thread.

EVERYONE has their OWN opinions and like ALL opinions they... (fill in the rest) [Razz]

Perhaps I should just J/O or take a shower and go out and pick-up a male hooker for an EXCITING 20 minutes?

I mean I wanna smell "clean"...

Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 09-02-2006, 12:23 AM:

I didn't know you were supposed to count the time showering, getting dressed and driving to wherever the meeting place is when defining "exciting".

Posted by Ian Woloschin (Member # 3709) on 09-02-2006, 12:33 AM:

Well, at least with the motorcycle you'll get good gas mileage...

Posted by Chris Hipp (Member # 1788) on 09-02-2006, 01:05 AM:

As you can see it was really close to the house and I'm lucky the house didnt catch on fire. I usually park in the garage so I just purely lucked out on that.

I look at this stuff the same way, Chad. I don't let it get to me. Sure it sucks but it could be much worse. I was making jokes with the firefighters after they put it out. My main concern was getting my cats out of the house in case the house caught on fire.

I think I am going to get a new bike and then start looking for a 2 or 3 thousand dollar car. So, we'll see.

Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 09-02-2006, 01:15 AM:

quote: Chris Hipp
As you can see it was really close to the house and I'm lucky the house didnt catch on fire. I usually park in the garage so I just purely lucked out on that.

As I was looking at the pics I was thinking the same thing... good thing it wasn't in the garage.

If you go back in time to 1992 or whenever it was (should be pretty easy) you can buy a brand new GEO for $5200 and it will get 50 miles per gallon. For trusies! I think they are made in Korea or Indonesia or something. Or you can buy a Toyota Prius (sp?) which they probably want too much $$$ for, install the button that they removed in the US version (because we hate good MPG here) that enables it to run pretty much purely on electricity and get 100mpg.

Posted by Allison Parsons (Member # 2728) on 09-02-2006, 01:46 AM:

Holy Crap! Hell, glad you weren't in it driving, let alone in the garage! Maybe you should ask your neighbor to buy his/her's VW Golf in the background of that first picture. [Wink]

Wait, did you leave your car runing while inside on the phone, or was it just sitting in the driveway, minding it's own buisness?

Posted by Jennifer Pan (Member # 2035) on 09-02-2006, 02:05 AM:

Now you can get that Honda S2000 you've wanted.

Posted by Josh Jones (Member # 447) on 09-02-2006, 02:38 AM:

I for one have never seen my geo get 50 MPG, 35 maybe. Besides, I think they are made in Canada. Shit, my race and street bikes get better mileage, 40 on the track, 44 on the street.

JJ

Posted by Chris Hipp (Member # 1788) on 09-02-2006, 03:44 AM:

Nope, not running. They said that switch stays hot all the time so it can short out even with the ignition off. I had driven it earlier but it had been parked for about an hour.

Posted by Leo Enticknap (Member # 534) on 09-02-2006, 03:56 AM:

quote: Brad Miller
Now what did I tell you about FORDs???

Good job mine doesn't have cruise control!

That is seriously scary, though; the idea that that could happen even when the engine is stone cold.

I was in a traffic jam on the motorway a few weeks ago, and when we eventually crawled past the cause of the trouble it was the smouldering, burnt-out shell of what had recently been a shiny new BMW (there was just enough left of the back end of the car to identify it as such), with its executive-suited owner talking to the firemen by the roadside. I guess the fire might not have been design-related (e.g. he left a fag in the ashtray which hadn't quite gone out), though.

Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 09-02-2006, 04:04 AM:

quote: Josh Jones
I for one have never seen my geo get 50 MPG

What year was it? I don't think subsequent years performed as well in the MPG category. My friend had one of the first year Geos and it got 50mpg, but otherwise it was a piece of shit.

Posted by Bruce McGee (Member # 131) on 09-02-2006, 12:36 PM:

Im really glad, Chris, that nothing worse happened with this incident.

I remember when Ford recalled these vehicles for this problem. Did yours get the new switch?

My FORD is 1983, with cruise, but has the switch in question installed above the brake pedal the way God intended. I've never heard of any problems at all with this system.

I dont mind Ford bashing at all. Chris, your truck looked really nice with that blue paint job.

Posted by Dustin Mitchell (Member # 372) on 09-02-2006, 02:59 PM:

Josh, is your geo a manual or automatic? Also what year? My dad had a geo that consistantly got around 50 miles to the gallon. He made the mistake of buying a newer one that also had automatic transmission and he could barely get 35.

Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 09-02-2006, 05:40 PM:

My 2003 Honda Civic constantly gets over 40mpg. Filled up yesterday, did the math and it was 41.6mpg.

Posted by Chris Hipp (Member # 1788) on 09-02-2006, 05:44 PM:

A civic is at the top of my list now, so long as I can get a good interest rate. I went to talk to suzuki about a bike and found out that the price they told me a couple weeks ago had some fine print that I was not ok with.

Posted by Phil Hill (Member # 371) on 09-02-2006, 08:59 PM:

Chris, I agree with Bruce... your truck was really cool looking especially with the blue. I hope you had it insured for fire/theft/etc. Perhaps, *IF* you can find one, an "honest" lawyer could help recover your damages.

Also, it IS a good thing you didn't park it in your garage that time.

That hydraulic brake master cylinder switch for the cruise control release would randomly fail and the hot terminal would contact the metal (battery negative) switch housing igniting the brake fluid.

I have wondered WTF Ford kept hot all the time (Battery +) of that switch. I mean, if your NOT driving...WHY? It should have been switched with the ignition and reset.

Leo, in recent history, I've had 3 friends that had their BMWs catch on fire and burn to the road for various reasons. BMW's suck anyway!

(FU Brad! You...You, YOU FORD HATER!)

Posted by Bill Enos (Member # 440) on 09-03-2006, 07:40 PM:

The recall affects '94 thru 2001 year models. The fix is a small wiring harness that contains a fuse. If you look at recalls in general, all vehicle manufacturers have plenty, even high priced brands. A screw up is one thing, continuing it for several years without correction is another, they all try to ignore issues until they are forced to make the correction. Unfortunately Ford is far from alone.

Posted by Bruce Hansen (Member # 281) on 09-03-2006, 08:13 PM:

If you think that you may have one of those defective switches you can easily disconnect it. The switch is right there where you put in break fluid. Pull off the connector by pushing on the latches on the side of the connector, then pull up. Tie rap the connector to something, so that the contacts of the connector will not come in contact with any metal in the car. If the switch is disconnected the problem will not happen, but your cruse control will not work.

Ford first tried to cover this up, now they are taking forever to do something about it. The "fix" is not a fix. The defective switch is still there. Why don't they redesign the switch, and replace it?

I own a 2002 Ford Exploder or ah Explorer. It is not on the list of problem cars, but because of their past actions I don't know if I should believe them. I have disconnected my switch until I can find out more.

And Ford wonders why people are not buying their cars.

Posted by Paul Konen (Member # 41) on 09-03-2006, 08:45 PM:

Chris. Good to see that you are ok. Kia Rio for $5988. [Smile]

Don't think they will give you $3K for your trade. [Frown]

Posted by Chris Hipp (Member # 1788) on 09-03-2006, 08:59 PM:

quote: Bruce Hansen
Ford first tried to cover this up, now they are taking forever to do something about it. The "fix" is not a fix. The defective switch is still there. Why don't they redesign the switch, and replace it?

That's what I was thinking when I read Bill's post. Im sure someone is going to keep blowing fuses and put a higher amp fuse in there that doesn't blow. Of course we know what would happen after that.

Posted by Phil Hill (Member # 371) on 09-03-2006, 09:24 PM:

For all you worry warts; get out your worry beads and go to Auto Recall Index

Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 09-03-2006, 09:35 PM:

Damn, just about every model you can think of has some sort of issue (inadequate reflectors in the lamp for mine). You think they'd at least try to make them correctly in the first place, but that really is too much of a bother and way too much to ask of automobile companies.

Posted by Randy Stankey (Member # 64) on 09-03-2006, 10:50 PM:

Read those recall notices carefully. You'll probably notice that they are recalling AFTERMARKET REPLACEMENT headlamps that had inadequate reflectors.

This isn't the fault of the auto manufacturer. It's the fault of the lamp manufacturer.

If this is the case for your car, all you have to do is replace the lamp... free of charge, of course.

One of our cars has the same recall for the headlamp. The other has a recall for a faulty aftermarket replacement fuel filter.

Those lamps, filters and aftermarket parts fit many models of cars. That's why it seems like there are so many recalls for cars.

Posted by Chad Souder (Member # 343) on 09-04-2006, 05:34 PM:

I had my cruise switch replaced on my 1997 F150 a few months back after receiving two notices from Ford in the mail. They sent me one back in November and then again in April because they hadn't gotten notice that it was fixed yet, which had just been putting off. After the second letter, I took the 5 minutes at the dealer to get it replaced and after seeing those pictures I'm glad that I did.

My point is, in my case Ford was pretty good about telling me about the recall, which I thought was required by law. Does anybody know if Ford got the contact information for me from the DOT? I had moved since I bought the truck.

Posted by Bill Enos (Member # 440) on 09-04-2006, 05:56 PM:

The actual problem I believe isn't that the switch is defective but that it located where it comes in contact with brake fluid which deteriorates the plastic the switch is made from. A different location would have prevented the problem.

Posted by Bruce Hansen (Member # 281) on 09-05-2006, 08:16 PM:

The switch shorts to ground and draws a lot of current that heats up the switch causing the break fluid to ignite. The fuse "should" blow if this happens before the switch can get hot enough to cause a fire.

Posted by Josh Jones (Member # 447) on 09-07-2006, 09:58 PM:

The geo in question is a 91, manual transmission.

JJ

PS, hows the new vehicle hunt going?

Posted by Chris Hipp (Member # 1788) on 09-07-2006, 10:07 PM:

Pretty bad, I went in to see about getting a new civic but I got scared off when I got to thinking about how much it would cost me over the next five or six years. I'd rather get a decent used car and put that other money into my house and spend it on vacations, etc.

I'm going to see a guy about a '99 civic tomorrow. It sounds like it is a good deal, but you never know.

Posted by Jason Burroughs (Member # 68) on 09-07-2006, 10:54 PM:

When you look at purchasing a used car, make sure that you take it to a trusted mechanic and let them look it over.

Honda makes good vehicles, GM's quality has gone way up over the past 10 years.