The Ford cruise control recall now includes 14 million vehicles, making it the company's largest recall ever. The cruise switch in affected vehicles can fail, potentially causing a fire and other problems. List of possibly affected vehicles below.
The ongoing recall now includes the 1995-2002 Ford Explorer and Mercury Mountaineer, 1995-2003 Ford Windstar, 1995-1997 and 2001-2003 Ford Ranger, 2000-2003 Ford Excursion with diesel engine, 1992-2003 Ford Econoline vans, 1993-1997 F35 motor homes and 1999-2003 Ford F-Series Super Duty trucks with diesel engines.
The cruise control deactivation switches were made by Texas Instruments and can overheat, creating a fire hazard even after the vehicle has been switched off. Warning signs of failure can include malfunctioning cruise control and brakes, unusual activation of brake lights and difficulty shifting out of "park." That sounds pretty scary and Ford is suggesting that vehicles included in the recall that haven't been fixed yet shouldn't be parked in garages or near homes. Two deaths have been linked to the fires, as well as several home fires.
Ford's fix is to have dealers install a fused wiring harness that will eliminate the risk of fire, but not replace the faulty switch itself. Concerned owners can call 888-222-2751 for more information.