2002 FORD F-250 — ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:FUSES AND CIRCUIT BREAKERS

1ST CRUISE CONTROL QUIT WORKING. 3 WEEKS LATER A NEW PROBLEM BEGAN. TO START VEHICLE I HAD TO TURN KEY TO ACCESSORY, MOVE GEAR SHIFT FROM PARK TO NEUTRAL, THEN TURNED KEY THE REST OF THE WAY TO START. AFTER ARRIVING ANYWHERE COULD NOT LEAVE VEHICLE IN PARK AND COULD NOT MOVE GEAR SHIFT BACK TO DRIVE. I HAD TO TURN VEHICLE OFF AND RESTART IT WITH THE ABOVE PROCEDURE. WITHIN A WEEK AFTER THE SHIFTING PROBLEM BEGAN I COULD NOT SHUT OVERDRIVE OFF. THEN, 2 DAYS LATER WHILE LEAVING HOME , THE SMELL OF AN ELECTRICAL FIRE AND BELLOWING WHITE SMOKE EMINATED FROM STEERING COLUMN. THIS FIRE OCCURRED ON MAY 13, 2007. VEHICLE WAS TOWED AT MY EXPENSE TO THE DEALER FROM WHICH IT WAS PURCHASED, LAIRD-NOLLER FORD IN LAWRENCE, KS AT A COST OF $110.00. IT WAS CURRENTLY STILL IN THE REPAIR SHOP AT ABOVE DEALERSHIP, WHO INFORMED ME THAT THE FUSE PANEL SHORT-CIRCUITED AND MELTED AND HAD TO BE REPLACED AT A COST OF APPROXIMATELY $670.00, BRINGING MY COST TO OVER $780.00. THE DEALERSHIP THEN CALLED ME ON MAY 17, 2007 AND INFORMED ME THAT THE CRUISE CONTROL STILL DID NOT WORK AFTER FIXING THE FUSE PANEL. THEY TRACED DOWN THE PROBLEM WITH THE CRUISE CONTROL, AND IT NEEDED A NEW MODULE AT A COST OF OVER $350.00 WHICH THEY BELIEVED IT TO BE THE PRIMARY SOURCE OF ALL OF THE AFOREMENTIONED PROBLEMS. THEY DENIED THE CRUISE CONTROL RECALL WAS PART OF THE PROBLEM, AND REFUSED TO PAY ANY OF THE COST ON THIS PART AND THE ENSUING DAMAGE CAUSED BY THIS DEFECTIVE PART. *AK