Ford Recalling 800,000 Trucks For Fire Risk

Two months after the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) began investigating reports of fires in 2000 and 2001 Ford pickup trucks, the manufacturer has issued a voluntary safety recall.

A Ford press release confirms that 792,000 vehicles are impacted. They include the F-150, Expedition and Navigator from model year 2000 and the F-Series Supercrew from model year 2001. According to Ford, using the vehicle's cruise control can cause a fire under the hood.

Ford reports that the company does not have enough replacement switches on hand and will first take the step of deactivating the cruise control to eliminate the fire risk. The company announced that it expects to begin notifying consumers by mail in February. When enough replacement parts are on hand, the company will then make the necessary repairs and reactivate the cruise control feature.

Consumer Help Web advises consumers who own these vehicles not to wait for a mailed notice some time in the future. Ford's Customer Assistance Center can be reached by calling toll-free to (866) 436-7332. The consumer advocacy company believes that waiting several weeks for a mailed notice when a problem is known to exist is ineffective communication for consumers at risk and urges consumers to call the company and make appropriate arrangements to deactivate the safety hazard.

posted by Consumer Help Web Editorial Team at 10:02 AM |