Ford recall includes Ranger, Explorer, etc.
#1
02-28-2005
Ford recall includes Ranger, Explorer, etc.
I dont have much info on this. It sounds like there is going to be a recall for defective speed control cancel switches on Rangers and several other Ford products. This is the underhood electrical switch on the front of the master cylinder.
List of possible affected vehicles:
http://www.wxyz.com/wxyz/ys_investig...00.html#ranger
More info:
http://www.wxyz.com/wxyz/ys_investig...583105,00.html
List of possible affected vehicles:
http://www.wxyz.com/wxyz/ys_investig...00.html#ranger
More info:
http://www.wxyz.com/wxyz/ys_investig...583105,00.html
#3
02-28-2005
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02-28-2005
#5
02-28-2005
ya'll didn't know about this?
very big news around these parts... been hearing about it non-stop for three or four weeks...
ever since the houston 10 o clock news covered it, everyone went insane down here...
i can't use cruise control on teh way to florida, cuz my buddy's expedition had it's cruise control removed.. :(
very big news around these parts... been hearing about it non-stop for three or four weeks...
ever since the houston 10 o clock news covered it, everyone went insane down here...
i can't use cruise control on teh way to florida, cuz my buddy's expedition had it's cruise control removed.. :(
#6
02-28-2005
From WXYZ News:
Here’s the problem:
You’re driving along, turn on your cruise control and set the speed, but then somebody pulls in front of you and you need it to disengage, so you tap your brake pedal. That’s when the switch is designed to switch the cruise control off.
You see, when you touch the brake, it ends a surge of brake fluid through the switch to the electrical connection up top which then instantly shuts off your cruise control. But, says fire investigator Jeff Morrill, who has examined several fires caused by the switch, "The switch itself has an inherent failure. It allows hydraulic fluid to get into the cavity where the electronic or the electrical portions of the switch are."
The main problem, he says, is the failure of the seals inside the switch to keep fluid from making contact with electrical points when it’s not supposed to.
Morrill explains, "That’s the first part of the problem is the leakage. If you had no leakage, then you’d have no contamination, you’d have no problem. The second part of that is when the leakage does get in and it does contaminate the electrical portions of the switch, then you also have constant 12 volt power, even when the vehicle is turned off.
You’re driving along, turn on your cruise control and set the speed, but then somebody pulls in front of you and you need it to disengage, so you tap your brake pedal. That’s when the switch is designed to switch the cruise control off.
You see, when you touch the brake, it ends a surge of brake fluid through the switch to the electrical connection up top which then instantly shuts off your cruise control. But, says fire investigator Jeff Morrill, who has examined several fires caused by the switch, "The switch itself has an inherent failure. It allows hydraulic fluid to get into the cavity where the electronic or the electrical portions of the switch are."
The main problem, he says, is the failure of the seals inside the switch to keep fluid from making contact with electrical points when it’s not supposed to.
Morrill explains, "That’s the first part of the problem is the leakage. If you had no leakage, then you’d have no contamination, you’d have no problem. The second part of that is when the leakage does get in and it does contaminate the electrical portions of the switch, then you also have constant 12 volt power, even when the vehicle is turned off.
#7
02-28-2005
Originally Posted by Trevelyn1015
ya'll didn't know about this?
very big news around these parts... been hearing about it non-stop for three or four weeks...
ever since the houston 10 o clock news covered it, everyone went insane down here...
i can't use cruise control on teh way to florida, cuz my buddy's expedition had it's cruise control removed.. :(
very big news around these parts... been hearing about it non-stop for three or four weeks...
ever since the houston 10 o clock news covered it, everyone went insane down here...
i can't use cruise control on teh way to florida, cuz my buddy's expedition had it's cruise control removed.. :(
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02-28-2005
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#9
02-28-2005
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#13
02-28-2005
The switch is common across several vehicle lines and years. In the article in the link above, it sounds like NHTSA is letting Ford roll it out in stages:
I just went outside and parked my truck farther from the house...
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration allowed Ford to limit its first recall to just some models Ford said were burning more than others, and the automaker said it couldn’t pinpoint why some switches failed and others didn’t.
#14
02-28-2005
Originally Posted by rwenzing
The switch is common across several vehicle lines and years. In the article in the link above, it sounds like NHTSA is letting Ford roll it out in stages:
I just went outside and parked my truck farther from the house...
I just went outside and parked my truck farther from the house...
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02-28-2005
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#22
03-01-2005
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#23
03-01-2005
although i really wish i had it sometimes
#24
03-01-2005
Originally Posted by optikal illushun
well ****...its almost every ford built after 1993...mine, my dads, my cuz's and sarahs are all affected...so what do we do with older trucks? take it to a dealer? im sure they'll love a sraight pipe 300 comin lol
According to the WXYZ News exposé, a key ingredient for a possible underhood fire is a wire that is hot, even with the key off, powering a Deactivation Switch that has been contaminated by brake fluid.
I have 5 different Ford Wiring Manuals (4 Ranger and 1 Explorer) and these show 4 different wiring methods for the cruise control Deactivation Switch! Here’s how I read the schematics:
1997 Ranger: NC, hot with key on, 7.5A circuit, shared with SC servo power
1999 Explorer: NC, hot at all times, independent 20A circuit
2002 Ranger: NO, hot at all times, 7.5A circuit, shared with brake pedal input
2003 Ranger: NC, hot with key on, independent 7.5A circuit
2004 Ranger: NC, hot with key on, independent 7.5A circuit
Where NC = normally closed switch, NO = normally open switch
What can we conclude from this? Nothing definite but I think the WXYZ News piece goes too far by implying that the recall should apply to its entire list of 8,000,000 Ford vehicles from 12 years.
It appears to me that some of the listed years and models do not meet the requirements for an unattended underhood fire.
In particular, on the 2003~2004 Rangers, the suspect circuit is not even powered when the vehicle is off. My GUESS would be that 2003-on is not affected by this problem but that’s just a guess.
The 1999 Explorer and 2002 Ranger look like they might POSSIBLY have the problem type circuit since they have voltage to the Deactivation Switch even when the key is off. This probably applies to other prior years/models but I only have a few Wiring Manuals – not nearly enough to say which vehicles will be recalled.
#25
03-01-2005
Originally Posted by rngprerunner
No cruise, no problem :)
