1991 Ford Explorer Electrical System

TL*THE CONTACT OWNED A 1991 FORD EXPLORER. WHILE DRIVING 40 MPH, THE CONTACT NOTICED SMOKE COMING FROM THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE VEHICLE FAILED TO RESTART. SHE MANAGED TO MANEUVER THE VEHICLE TO THE SHOULDER AND LEFT TO CALL FOR HELP. UPON RETURNING TO THE VEHICLE, IT WAS CONSUMED IN FLAMES. THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED AND A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE OVER 100,000.

DT: THE CONSUMER SMELL SMOKE, AND THEN SOME SMOKE STARTED COMING OUT OF THE LEFT SIDE OF THE HOOD. ALL OF THE GAUGES LOOKED OKAY AND THE CONSUMER THOUGHT IT WAS OVERHEATING. THEN THE CAR CAUGHT ON FIRE FAST WITH SMOKE ON THE LEFT AND FIRE ON THE RIGHT OF THE HOOD AND BURNED ALL THE WAY TO THE BACK OF MY CAR, AND THE TWO CARS ON EITHER SIDE. THIS HAPPENED IN A DENNY'S PARKING LOT IN FAIRBANKS ON 6/30/05. FIRE DEPARTMENT CASE NUMBER: 051947. TOWED VEHICLE TO THE MECHANIC. *NM *NM

VEHICLE CAUGHT FIRE AND WAS A TOTAL LOSS

ELECTRICAL WIRING HARNESS INSIDE THE DASHBOARD IGNITED, AND VEHICLE CAUGHT ON FIRE. THIS OCCURRED WHILE VEHICLE WAS PARKED IN THE DRIVEWAY. *AK

WHILE DRIVING AT 35 MPH, VEHICLE CAUGHT ON FIRE, BLACK SMOKE AND FLAMES CAME UNDER THE HOOD. THE DEALER NOTIFIED. *AK

AFTER FILLING THE FUEL TANK VEHICLE CAUGHT ON FIRE FROM UNDER THE HOOD WHILE DRIVING 40 MPH. *AK

ERRORS WERE MADE IN THE INSTALLATION OF THE BATTERY AND ALTERNATOR. MR. *AK. THE VEHICLE STALLED AFTER THE CONSUMER WAS TOLD THE REPAIRS WERE MADE, CONSUMER REQUESTED REIMBURSEMENT. *JB

AIR CONDITIONER CAUGHT FIRE UNDER THE HOOD. FIRE STARTED INSIDE THE AIR CONDITIONER PROBABLY THE FAN SPEED RESISTORS. MELTED THE LEFT SIDE OF THE HOUSING WHERE THE RESISTORS AND FAN ARE HOUSED LETTING SMOKE AND FUMES IN THE CAR. IN FEELING AROUND INSIDE THE BLOWER HOLE YOU CAN REACH UP AND FEEL THE SHEET METAL WHERE THE WIPER ARMS ARE AND I THINK PROBABLY LEAVES GOT IN AND WERE BLOWN ON TO THE RESISTORS WHEN THEY WERE HOT STARTING THE FIRE. DAMAGE INCLUDED AIR CONDITIONER HOUSING, BLOWER AND MOTOR, BLOWER RESISTORS, EVAPORATOR, SHEET METAL ABOVE THE AIR CONDITIONER HOUSING AND ALSO MELTED THE INNER FENDER WELL. NOT TO MENTION THE SMOKE AND FUMES THAT WERE BLOWN INTO THE CAR. TO ME THIS APPEARS TO BE A DESIGN FAULT AND IT SURPRISING THAT NO ONE ELSE HAS REPORTED IT. LUCKILY I WAS SITTING STILL WHEN IT HAPPENED OR IT WOULD HAVE CAUSED A CRASH DUE TO THE SMOKE AND FUMES. *JB

GENERATOR FAILED PREMATURELY, CAUSING VEHICLE TO STALL WHILE DRIVING.*AK

A FIRE HAS STARTED IN ENGINE COMPARTMENT WHILE DRIVING AT HIGHAY SPEED OF 60 MPH. DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WERE NOT NOTIFIED AT THIS TIME. FEEL FREE TO PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION.*AK

CONSUMER STATED THAT THERE WAS A FIRE IN THE VEHICLE IN THE INSTRUMENT PANEL AREA. THIS HAPPENED AFTER THE CONSUMER HAD PARKED THE VEHICLE FOR THE NIGHT. CONTACTED DEALER AND THE DEALER IS NOT WILLING TO DO ANYTHING. *NLM PHOTOS ATTACHED. *TT

CONSUMER IS HAVING PROBLEMS WITH A DEFECTIVE IGNITION SWITCH THAT IS POSSIBLY CAUSING VEHICLE TO STALL. *TT

WHILE DRIVING ABOUT 10 MPH THERE WAS SMOKE COMING FROM UNDERNEATH THE STEERING COLUMN NEAR PEDALS. CONSUMER PULLED OVER, AND CALLED FIRE DEPARTMENT. BATTERY WAS DISCONNECTED AND FIRE PUT OUT. DEALER REPLACED IGNITION SWITCH AND WIRING.*AK

INTERMITTENTLY VEHICLE STALLS OUT AND DIES. MECHANIC HAS REPLACED CFI MODULE TWICE, AND THE PROBLEM HAS REOCCURRED. PLEASE PROVIDE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION.*AK

WHILE WAITING AT A STOP LIGHT AFTER DRIVING ONLY 2 MILES CONSUMER NOTICED SMOKE FROM UNDER THE HOOD, SHE PULLED OVER AND SAW FLAMES FROM UNDER THE HOOD ON LEFT SIDE. FIRE DEPARTMENT PUT OUT FIRE. VEHICLE WAS TOTALLED. ALSO DASH BURNED. *AK THE INSURANCE COMPANY STATED THAT THE WIRING HARNESS MADE CONTACT WITH THE ENGINE BLOCK MAKING A SPARK IGNITE. *YD

ENGINE HESITATES THEN FAILS PARTICULARLY AT 90 DEGREES PLUS OUTSIDE AIR TEMPERATURE AND ENGINE UNDER LOAD. CONSEQUENT LOSS OF STEERING CONTROL, BRAKES ETC AND DANGER OF NEGOTIATING TRAFFIC WHILE ATTEMPTING CONTROLLED STOP. THIS HAS HAPPENED NUMEROUS TIMES OVER THE PAST TWO YEARS. DATE GIVEN ON PREVIOUS PAGE OF REPORT IS MOST RECENT INCIDENT. PROBLEM DOES NOT OCCUR IN COLDER CLIMATE. PROBLEM IS WORSE WHEN OPERATING AIR CONDITIONING. ENGINE MUST BE OFF FOR 10 TO 30 MINUTES BEFORE IT WILL RESTART. DEPENDING UPON CONDITIONS, VEHICLE CAN THEN BE DRIVEN ANYWHERE FROM LESS THAN A MILE TO IDEFINITELY WITHOUT INCIDENT REPEATING. HAVE REPLACED EDIS AT A COST OF OVER $200 AND PROBLEM NOW APPEARS FIXED. SAW REFERENCE TO IGNITION FAILURE IN TSB LISTING BUT APPARENTLY DID NOT RESULT IN RECALL OR VOLUNTARY REPAIR BY FORD. NOW SEE ARTICLES IN NEWSPAPER REPORTING NHTSA INVESTIGATION OF MILLIONS OF VEHICLES (INCLUDING EXPLORER) OVER SEVERAL MODEL YEARS. WHAT RECOURSE, IF ANY, DO I HAVE AT THIS POINT? HAS DECISON BEEN MADE TO MANDATE RECALL? ENCOURAGE YOU TO PURSUE VIGOROUSLY. JUDGING BY THE NUMBER OF PROBLEMS AND REPETITIVE REPAIRS ON THIS VEHICLE (INCLUDING FRONT BRAKE PADS/CALIPERS THAT MUST BE REPLACED FREQUENTLY), I BELIEVE THERE WERE DESIGN FLAWS IN THIS MODEL THAT HAVE SAFETY RAMIFICATIONS AND FOR WHICH FORD HAS NOT PROACTIVELY TAKEN RESPONSIBILITY. HOW WILL I KNOW IF/WHEN A RECALL IS INITIATED? *AK

I CALLED THE FORD DEALER, AND HE JUST LEFT ME ON HOLD, I CALLED BACK, SOME KIND OF WAY WE WERE DISCONNECTED, I CALLED BACK AND WAS LEFT ON HOLD AGAIN.

CONSUMER SHUT ENGINE OFF AND WENT INSIDE A BUSINESS FOR A SHORT PERIOD. THEN WAS NOTIFIED THAT BLACK SMOKE WAS COMING FROM WINDOW. GOT A FIRE EXTINGUISHER. BUT, BY THIS TIME THERE WERE FLAMES SHOOTING FROM BEHIND THE DASHBOARD. *AK

WHILE DRIVING AT 30 MPH LOST ALL POWER. VEHICLE DIDN'T HAVE ANY LIGHTS. VEHICLE STALLED AND THEN SHUT DOWN WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING. THEN THERE WAS AN ELECTRICAL FIRE. FIRE DEPARTMENT PUT THE FIRE OUT. *AK

I OWN A 1991 FORD EXPLORER LTX 4WD WITH A 4.0L ENGINE. OVER THE PAST 6 YEARS I'VE HAD A REOCCURRING PROBLEM OF THE LIGHTS (HEADLIGHTS, INTERIOR LIGHTS, ETC.) TWINKLING ESPECIALLY WHEN IDLING. I'M IN THE MILITARY SO I'M CONSTANTLY MOVING THUS DEALING WITH DIFFERENT DEALERSHIPS THROUGHOUT THIS ORDEAL. I'VE HAD AT LEAST 6 NEW ALTERNATORS AND 3 NEW BATTERIES INSTALLED AND EACH TIME THE PROBLEM REOCCURS, USUALLY JUST WHEN THE DEALER'S 12,000 MILE WARRANTY RUNS OUT OR I MOVE. I THEN TAKE UP THE PROBLEM WITH THE NEXT DEALERSHIP AND SPEND ANOTHER $200 FOR THEM TO TROUBLESHOOT THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM. THEY IMMEDIATELY TELL ME IT'S A BAD ALTERNATOR AND $150 LATER THE PROBLEM STILL EXIST. THEY THEN SAY WELL IT MUST BE THE BATTERY. SURE ENOUGH $90 LATER THE PROBLEM IS STILL THERE. THIS WHOLE TIME THOUGH I'VE STATED THAT NEITHER COULD BE THE CAUSE AND THEY CERTAINLY DO NOT REFUND MY MONEY FOR NEEDLESSLY BUYING AN ALTERNATOR AND BATTERY. TODAY WHILE I WAS IN AN AUTOPARTS STORE A GENTLEMAN INFORMED ME THAT HE HAD THE SAME PROBLEM WITH HIS 91 EXPLORER AND THAT THE DEFECT WAS A RECALL ITEM BUT I WAS UNABLE TO FIND IT ON YOUR WEB SIGHT.

PUT KEY IN THE IGNITION AND IT WOULD NOT TURN. COULD NOT TURN THE OUTER RING WITHOUT A KEY.CONSUMER HAS CONTACTED MANUFACTURER WHO TOLD THEM TO CONTACT THE DEALER*AK.

WHEN PLACING THE KEY IN THE INGITION AND UPON STARTING VEHICLE, CONSUMER NOTICED SMOKE AND FLAMES COMING FROM THE INGNITION DUE TO VEHICLE CATCHING ON FIRE WITHIN THE IGNITION SWITCH. FIRE DEPARTMENT WAS CALLED, AND WAS UNABLE TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM. VEHICLE WAS TOTALED. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER DETAILS. *AK

VEHICLE STALLS DUE TO FAILURE OF THE BATTERY, ALTERNATOR AND WIRING. QCAW

WHILE DRIVING SMOKE STARTED COMING FROM AIR CONDITIONING VENTS, STOPPED VEHICLE, FIRE UNDER DASH, FIRE EXTINGUISHED BY FIRE DEPARMENT. WHOLE INSTRUMENT PANEL/WIRING HARNESS/RADIO/DUCTS BURNED, RELACED BY AUTO REPAIR SHOP. *AK

ELECTRICAL SHORT IN STARTER CAUSED FIRE.