NHTSA complaint: 1998 FORD F-150 — VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:CRUISE CONTROL
EARLY LAST YEAR (2004) MY CRUISE CONTROL STOPPED WORKING ON MY 1998 FORD F-150 4X4 P/U. I CHECKED ALL THE FUSES AND THEY WERE FINE. I USED THE TRUCK WITHOUT THE CRUISE CONTROL FOR THE NEXT 6-8 MONTHS. THEN ONE DAY WHILE AT WORK I NOTICED SMOKE COMING OUT OF MY TRUCK HOOD. I OPENED THE HOOD AND NOTICED IT WAS ON FIRE AT THE CRUISE CONTROL SWITCH (AT THE TIME I THOUGHT THE SWITCH WAS A PRESSURE SWITCH ACTIVATED BY THE BRAKE) SO I CUT THE WIRING TO STOP THE CURRENT FLOW AND PUT OUT THE FIRE. I CAUGHT IT EARLY ENOUGH SO NO OTHER DAMAGE WAS DONE TO THE TRUCK. JUST SOME MELTED WIRING THAT I REPLACED. (BEING AN ELECTRICIAN HELPED) I COULD NOT USE THE TRUCK FOR A COUPLE OF DAYS AND TOOK A DAY OFF WORK UNTIL I FOUND A SWITCH AND I REPLACED IT. I HAVE NOT HAD ANY PROBLEMS SINCE. WHEN I WENT TO THE LOCAL FORD DEALERSHIP (ANTELOP VALLEY FORD IN LANCASTER, CA) TO GET A REPLACEMENT SWITCH AND EXPLAINED THE INCIDENT TO THEM THEY HAD NO IDEA WHAT SWITCH I WAS TALKING ABOUT AND SAID THEY HAD NO REPLACEMENT FOR IT, THEN SAID THEY COULD ORDER IT FOR ME AFTER I SHOWED THEM WHERE IT WAS LOCATED UNDER THE HOOD. THEY NEVER TOLD ME IT HAD ANYTHING TO DO WITH THE CRUISE CONTROL AND THEY NEVER TOLD ME ABOUT ONGOING PROBLEMS WITH THIS SWITCH, THAT UPSETS ME MORE THEN ANYTHING! I WENT TO POWER FORD IN VALENCIA, CA AND THEY HAD A SWITCH IN STOCK THAT I PURCHASED. I CAN ONLY ASSUME THAT THE SWITCH THAT I GOT FROM THE FORD DEALERSHIP TO REPLACE THE BURNT UP ONE WAS A NON-FAULTY SWITCH? LOW AND BEHOLD, MY
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration — Office of Defects Investigation