Ford Motor Co. said Monday it was recalling more than 180,000 sport utility vehicles and vans in two separate recalls to fix interior door handles and faulty fuel hoses.

The larger of the two recalls involves nearly 124,000 Ford Expedition and Lincoln Navigator SUVs from the 2007-2008 model years. The Dearborn, Mich.-based automaker said the spring system in the inside door handles could break.

The problem could prevent the door handles from returning to a closed position, but the latches work properly, said Ford spokesman Wes Sherwood. However, in a side crash, there could be a risk of the door latch opening because of the problems, he said.

Sherwood said there were no reports of injuries or accidents tied to the recall.

Dealers will replace the interior handle spring on all side doors, he said. The recall involves 2007-2008 Expedition and Navigator vehicles built from March 3, 2006 through Aug. 9, 2007, Sherwood said.

The second recall involves more than 57,000 2006-2007 E-150, E-250 and E-350 vans, and 2007 Expedition and Navigator SUVs with 5.4 liter engines.

The automaker said the engine’s fuel rail crossover hose, which connects the fuel rails, could crack and leak fuel, potentially leading to a fire.

Sherwood said there have been no reports of fires, injuries or crashes. Dealers will replace the fuel rail assembly.

The recalls are expected to begin later this month for the handle spring and in March for the fuel hose. For more information, owners may contact Ford at (800) 392-3673.

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The firestorm of Ford trucks erupting into flames has struck in two more states, devastating Ford truck owners in Minnesota and California.

The Ford inferno hit a homeowner in Chisago City, Minnesota last month when her 2000 Ford Expedition “started on fire parked in our attached garage. We have now lost everything we owned,” wrote the Ford Expedition owner. “The home we built not even 2 years ago burned to the ground,” she said.

Neighbors of the burned-out Chisago City homeowners are helping their friends. “Rob and Gina’s house burned,” wrote a friend. “Fortunately, they got out of the house with their 2 daughters.”
“The fire is being investigated, but it started in Gina’s truck. Rob opened up the mudroom door and the entire car was engulfed in flames,” he said. “Everything, including both their cars were torched.”

“This will be a hard time for the children and for Rob and Gina. I am hoping we can get together and help their kids,” the neighbor wrote to friends.

California fire

While the Minnesota fire is still under investigation, a second Ford truck went up in flames in Westminster, California on January 22. This home owner is fortunate. He lost only his Ford truck and not his house as well.

The California Ford owner had parked his truck in the driveway following a brief 20-minute drive.

“Approximately one hour later, about 3:30 in the afternoon, the engine compartment was on fire and became engulfed within minutes,” he said.

“A neighbor’s daughter saw the fire and her dad and a friend came to our house and helped put out the fire with a garden hose before it could catch fire to the front of our house,” according to the ConsumerAffairs.com reader.

The fire department told the Ford truck owner that “the origin of the fire was on the driver’s side of the vehicle near and around the master cylinder.”

That would place the origin of the truck fire in the area of the cruise control system which the Ford Motor Co. is struggling to recall.

Ford admits a parts shortage is preventing the automaker from repairing all of the recalled Ford cars and trucks recalled for a faulty cruise control system until sometime later in 2008. The automaker has no specific time table for completion of the recall.

As a short-term solution, Ford offers to disconnect the cruise control system in recalled vehicles until parts are available to complete the repair.

1.8 million at risk

More than 1.8 million Ford cars and trucks remain at risk 5 months after the automaker recalled an additional 3.6 million vehicles because of the fire hazard in the cruise control system.

A Ford spokesman insists the automaker is doing all it can to complete the fire hazard recall.

“This was a large recall, and we’re working with the supplier to meet the volume challenge as soon aspossible,” said Ford’s Dan Jarvis.

A Mississippi consumer has had it with Ford because of the confusion surrounding the recall.

“My mother’s 1988 Grand Marquis caught fire and was damaged and repaired with recall notice coming month later,” he said. “She now drives my 1997 Lincoln Town Car and there was a safety recall in July with parts due in November. Now we are told February,” he said.

Ford would not offer an explanation for the recall delay to their Sumrall, Mississippi customer so he got rid of the Lincoln and bought his mother a Lexus.

The recall delay adds to an already troubling situation for many Ford consumers faced with the cruise control recall. The consequences are sometimes devastating.

Faced with continuing delays, some Ford customers are reluctant to go along with the automaker’s interim solution to deactivate the cruise control system.

Some Ford dealers now require customers who decline to disconnect the cruise control system to sign a waiver of liability.

With just more than half of the fire-prone Fords repaired, the automaker insists the company is responding adequately in an effort to notify Ford customers to return their vehicles to a Ford dealership for repair of the fire hazard.

“We have sent multiple mailings to customers, based on current vehicle registrations, asking them to bring in vehicles. I don’t have an exact figure, but about half of the total have done so to date. We have one of the highest return rates in the industry, based on update registration info, and sending multiple mailings,” Ford spokesman Jarvis said in an email response to ConsumerAffairs.Com.

Ford, however, continues to deny any responsibility for fires caused by its trucks. It tells burned-out customers to talk to their insurance agents.

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Some Ford trucks weren’t built tough enough to resist fire.

Two F-150 s have already gone ablaze in Bentonville - and both instances could have been prevented if the owners had paid attention to Ford’s recall notice.

In 2005, Ford Motor Co. issued a safety recall to address fires related to the speed-control switch in various 2000 and 2001-model Ford F-150 s, Ford Expeditions and Lincoln Navigators, as well as trucks from the 2001 F-Series.

City Fire Inspector James Birchfield said both truck fires started while the trucks were stationary and sitting in driveways. One of the fires spread to a house.

The speed-control switch in question includes a diaphragm that, when it fails, releases brake fluid into the engine compartment of the vehicle, creating a fire hazard, Birchfield said.

According to the Ford Web site, www.ford.com, the recall affects 792, 000 automobile owners - and has warranted demand for replacement parts to the point that Ford is experiencing a shortage in the parts.

Meanwhile, owners can head to the local Ford dealership and have the switch disabled to eliminate the risk of fire.

To find out if a particular vehicle is included in the recall, go to www.ford.com, then enter the vehicle’s identification number.

Customers may also contact Ford Customer Assistance at (866 ) 436-7332.

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A Tri-State woman nearly loses her home after her SUV suddenly explodes.

In May Ford issued a voluntary safety recall for 3.6 million vehicles built between 1992 and 2003. But a Newburgh family knew nothing about the announcement and they say it could have cost them their lives.

Karen Hart was done paying off her 1999 Ford Expedition which she bought in 2005. Not only was it her only means of transportation, but it nearly took down her Newburgh home last Tuesday night.

Hart says, “I live on a curve and thought someone came around and hit my car. I was just in shock because I could just see everything going up in flames. Everything I own was going to be gone.”

Hart says her quick thinking daughter along with neighbors stopped a bigger disaster.

Neighbor Jeff Partain says, “I grabbed my fire extinguishers and ran down to the house. I used to be a volunteer fire fighter. I brought my fire extinguishers down here to keep it away from the house because I know how fast mobile homes burn.”

Fire Fighters extinguished the seven foot flames, but it still caused damage to the front of Hart’s home, cutting off power to half of the house.

After doing some research, Hart believes the fire was the result of a faulty cruise control device. A voluntary recall was issued in May for 3.6 million vehicles built between 1992 and 2003.

Hart says she had no idea, “Never really had any problems with it. Nothing major and never even knew there was a recall of any kind from Ford.”

Hart’s daughter and grandchildren are still shaken by the explosion which could have cost them so much more.

Hart’s daughter Courtney Perigo says, “She said mommy if we had been in that car we would be dead. The thought that she’d think that. Yes that’s a possibility, but that hurts me.”

Hart says she doesn’t want to dwell on the situation, but hopes others will learn from her nightmare, “I think the more people that know about this the better it is.”

Hart says the vin number on her SUV was a part of the voluntary recall.

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Ford engineers and designers created a passenger cabin in the 2007 Expedition that, according to the company, is quiet enough for a normal conversation to be heard from the front all the way back to the third row.
(c)2006 Ford Motor Co.

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Through the month of September, the new Expedition and all-new Expedition EL will appear at five football games in key Southern markets for tailgate events where fans can experience the Expedition's cargo and people hauling capabilities. (c)2006 Ford Motor Co.

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