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1998 Ford Expedition acceleration complaints

Page 2 of 4: complaints 11 to 40 of 78, newest first, as owners wrote them.

See the summary of 1998 Ford Expedition acceleration problems: which part fails, at what mileage and related recalls.

Filed Jun 6, 2008 · Acceleration · 102,000 miles · OH · fire

Tl*the contact owns a 1998 ford expedition. When the contact started the vehicle, he smelled smoke. He turned off the vehicle, looked under the hood, and noticed flames coming from the vehicle speed control. The contact pulled the cables from the battery and extinguished the fire. The vehicle is not able to be driven and needs to be towed; however, the manufacturer stated that they will not pay for the towing. The current and failure mileages were 102,000.

Filed Apr 1, 2008 · Acceleration · IN

Tl*- the contact owns a 1998 ford expedition. He received a recall for the vehicle speed control (the federal safety agency campaign id 07v336000) in january of 2007. The dealer stated that the parts were not available. As of april 1, 2008, the dealer had not repaired the vehicle. The contact felt that the wait time for this recall was excessive. The current mileage was 59,000. There had been no failure to date. Updated 4/21/08 *cn updated 04/21/08

Filed Mar 12, 2008 · Acceleration · OK

Tl*the contact owns a 1998 ford expedition. The contact received a recall notice for the federal safety agency campaign id number 05v388000 (vehicle speed control). The dealer stated that if the recall was from 2005, they would not repair the vehicle. They further stated that the most they could do was deactivate the cruise control. There had been no failure to date. The purchase date was unknown. The current mileage was 160,000.

Filed Mar 7, 2008 · Acceleration · 180,000 miles · MN · fire

Tl*the contact owns a 1998 ford expedition. The vehicle caught fire while idling and was completely destroyed. An investigator from fire forensics stated that the fire originated from the cruise control switch. Ford stated that they sent the recall notice to the original owner and could not provide her with any further assistance. A police report was filed. The contact filed a formal complaint with the manufacturer. She still has possession of the vehicle. The powertrain and recall number were unknown. The failure and current mileages were 180,000.

Filed Mar 7, 2008 · Acceleration · TN

Tl*the contact owns a 1998 ford expedition. The contact is displeased because he has been unable to have his vehicle speed control replaced or removed. There had been no failure to date. The current mileage was 130,000.

Filed Jan 18, 2008 · Acceleration · 159,000 miles · OK · fire

Tl*the contact owns a 1998 ford expedition. The contact's vehicle caught fire underneath the hood. The fire and police departments arrived at the scene and a report was filed. An investigation is currently ongoing. The vehicle was destroyed. The dealer and manufacturer have not yet been notified. The contact discovered the federal safety agency campaign id number 06e060000 (vehicle speed control). The failure and current mileages were 159,000.

Filed Nov 20, 2007 · Acceleration · 136,000 miles · CO · fire

Tl*the contact owns a 1998 ford expedition. The vehicle caught fire while parked due to the vehicle speed control. Ford refused to provide assistance, even though the fire was due to their vehicle speed control recall. The current and failure mileages were 136,000. Updated 01/0308.*lj recall #05v388000. Updated 12/12/07

Filed Oct 9, 2007 · Acceleration · 150,000 miles · CA · fire

Tl*the contact owns a 1998 ford expedition. The contact stated that the vehicle caught fire under the hood. The insurance investigator stated that a cruise control device caused the failure. There is a recall for the vehicle speed control (the federal safety agency campaign id # 00v422000). The contact felt that his vehicle should be included. As of october 9, 2007, the dealer had not inspected the vehicle. The current and failure mileages were 125,000.

Filed Aug 22, 2007 · Acceleration · FL · fire

I left work on tuesday august the 21st and went to a local restaurant about 4 minutes away for my job. I park the car outside and after just about 5 minutes I see a big smoke come out the engine of my car. The front mirror splashed all inside the car. The the whole engine was on fire for about 20 minutes until the fire department showed up.

Filed Aug 16, 2007 · Acceleration · 150,000 miles · FL

The cruise control deactivation switch in my 1997 expedition shorted out and failed earlier this year, causing my wife to drive without brake lights and further causing the vehicle to become undrivable due to the inability to place the vehicle in gear. I discovered today that this vehicle was subject to a safety recall 05v‑388 on this issue in september 2005. I received no notification from ford on this recall. I called ford motor company today to check on this recall, and they refused to address the issue or even confirm that my vehicle was involved in the recall. I own two other ford vehicles that may be subject to the recall, a 1995 f150 and a 1998 crown victoria and I am not able to determine if they are subject to the recall.

Filed May 14, 2007 · Acceleration · 134,000 miles · NC · fire

Tl*the contact owns a 1998 ford expedition. The contact's vehicle caught fire while parked. The fire department was notified and extinguished the fire. The entire hood and engine of the vehicle was destroyed. The fire inspector stated that he was aware of recall # 05v388000 (vehicle speed control). The contact notified the manufacturer and found that the contact's VIN was included in the recall, but he is not the original owner. A police report was filed. The current and failure mileages were 134,000. Updated 12/30/08 *bf the consumer stated ford hired a consultant to investigate the fire, but it could not be determined what caused the fire. The consumer claim was denied by ford. Updated 01/05/08.

Filed Feb 8, 2007 · Acceleration · 126,030 miles · MI

Approximately 2.5 hrs. Into a 3 hr. Trip with outside temperature in the single digit range, and with constant highway driving (no stopping) my throttle became stuck while traveling approx. 70 MPH. While trying to avoid the traffic that had slowed in front of me I reached for the ignition key and turned the truck off while I searched for a place to pull-over to. After the truck was stopped on the side of the highway I restarted the engine only to have it race in RPM's. I was able to drive the truck home the remaining part of the trip after I removed the throttle body cover and just lightly touched the throttle linkage (just left of throttle plate) which returned the throttle to idle position. Truck has been taken to ford dealer where an upgrade of the pcv system has been performed (tsb 01-21-12). Truck information: 1998 ford expedition 5.4 engine 126000 miles.

Filed Jan 31, 2007 · Acceleration · 90,000 miles · NY

Tl*- the contact received a recall 05v38800) in the mail. Regarding vehicle speed control:cruise control. The recall was honored at the dealer. The contact believed that it was ford's responsibility to warn the consumers that the brake fluid could be lost through a defective switch, which could cause a crash. *ak the consumer stated the cruise control switch was never replaced under recall, only a fuse line was added to the switch. The consumer was never told that the brake fluid could leak through the defective switch. Updated 03/19/07.

Filed Oct 12, 2006 · Acceleration · TX · fire · 1 injury

My 1998 ford expedition caught on fire when I was in the bank,the fire totaled the vehicle , I was injured trying to put the fire out. The fire dept chief and staff had to disconnect the battery to stop fire from continuing. They indicated the incident was caused by factory recall(speed control recall-defect) my expedition was totally damaged and was picked up by appel ford in sep-06-2006 I am not happy with appel ford's reaction, and I have not received anything from ford????????

Filed Sep 8, 2006 · Acceleration · OR · fire

Dt*: the contact stated the vehicle caught on fire and burned down their house, garage, car and other belongings. There was a recall remedy #05v388000 performed for the vehicle speed control last year. The vehicle speed control switch caused the fire. The vehicle had been in the garage for ten minutes before catching on fire.

Filed Aug 18, 2006 · Acceleration · 100,000 miles · CA · fire

Dt*: the contact stated the vehicle caught fire and burned while parked. A fire department report was taken. The vehicle was taken to a service dealer who determined that the fire started due to an overheated speed control deactivation switch. There was a the federal safety agency recall # 05v388000 which pertained to the vehicle speed control. The dealer determined that the vehicle was included in the recall, however the contact stated that there was no recall notice received.

Filed Aug 16, 2006 · Acceleration · VA

When vehicle was in cruise control, it could not be deactivated by brake pedal. This occurred after the "cruise control" recall work was performed on the vehicle. Additionally, the brake lamp lights are now out and the vehicle cannot be shifted out of park. (this appears to be the same defect as the recall for the 2001 ford taurus, but does not seem to apply to the 1998 ford expedition).

Filed Mar 24, 2006 · Acceleration · 100,000 miles · MI · fire

Dt*: the contact stated the vehicle caught fire while parked in the driveway. The fire was coming from under the hood area. The fire spread to the garage and damage was sustained. The fire department extinguished the fire. The vehicle was towed to the insurance company. The manufacturer was alerted. There is a recall for the vehicle speed control the federal safety agency campaign id# 05v388000. This vehicle was included in the recall but the contact was never notified. The ford manufacturer had the vehicle inspected.

Filed Mar 9, 2006 · Acceleration, Transmission · 79,000 miles · CA

1998 expedition cruise control was disconnected. When it was reconnected there was a sudden vibration. *ts the consumer was informed of a recall on the cruise control in september 2005 and had it disconnected while waiting to have it fixed. On december 28, 2005 the cruise control was reconnected but wasn't use until january 2006. When it was finally used there was a vibration. The vehicle was parked and the consumer observed fluid leaking onto the driveway. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who stated that there was no was that the vibration was connected to the recall work. The vehicle was taken to the consumer's regular mechanic who determined that the transfer case bushing was damaged along with the driveline and transfer case. All parts had to be replaced.

Filed Mar 2, 2006 · Acceleration · 110,812 miles · AL

Dt*: the contact stated there is currently not a problem with the vehicle. However, there is a the federal safety agency recall, #05v388000 on the vehicle regarding the vehicle speed control cruise control. The parts needed to repair their vehicle are not available at their local dealership. The manufacturer confirmed the parts are not available. The manufacturer was alerted.

Filed Jan 27, 2006 · Acceleration · 93,985 miles · CA

I backed out of a parking space and had my foot on the brake as I shifted out of reverse and into neutral. As soon as I shifted into drive the engine accelerated with great force. I kept my foot on the brake pedal and shifted back into neutral and turned of the ignition stopping the vehicle and avoiding an accident. I measured the resulting tire skid mark from the left rear tire and it was about 9 feet long. I took the vehicle to the ford dealer on january 23, 2006 for a diagnostic checkup. They kept it overnight and tried to duplicate the unintended acceleration and to check out any possible mechanical defects. None were found and the vehicle was returned with a suggestion to have a vehicle data recorder installed when one was available.

Filed Oct 29, 2005 · Acceleration · TX · fire

Just arrived home in my 1998 ford expedition from work on october 6, 2005 around 5:50 pm ran in to change clothes. We were in the house no more than 5-8 minutes when we heard a strange sound. Ran to the front door and noticed smoke and fire coming out from under the hood of my vehicle. My neighbor ran for the water hose & put water on the fire until the fire department arrived to help. If this had happened just a few minutes before we would have been still in the vehicle and could have lost our lives in the fire. Just a few days before this incident ford choose to send out recall notices in september 2005 on this year\ make\model regarding the speed control wiring. Not only that I had just taken my vehicle into ford service at a local dealership for a problem with my air conditioner and the rear end. They should have corrected this defect at that time but did not. Ford should have sent out recall notices a couple of years ago due to this defect when people were having problems then. If it had been done I would still have my vehicle up to this day.

Filed Oct 24, 2005 · Acceleration · 100,000 miles · TX · fire

98 ford expedition under hood fire I received the recall notice on tuesday and on wednesday the car caught fire. The vehicle had not been driven in over 24 hrs. Ford has been unresponsive to repeated calls!

Filed Oct 17, 2005 · Acceleration · 62,700 miles · AL

Dt: the contact states received the federal safety agency recall notice 05v017000. Vehicle is a 1998 ford expedition. The contact called local dealership and tried to arrange for recall work to be done. The dealership said that ford would be sending him another letter, to wait for the part to come in around november. The dealership would not make an attempt to put the contact on the call list for the part. The contact has been on the phone with ford motor company, they said that there was no additional letters coming in the mail. Ford said that he should wait for the dealer to contact him, then ,hung up on the contact . No one was interested in fixing the recall part. Luckily he knew that was to be disconnected, so he did himself. The problem seemed to be getting the contact on the waiting list for the part. The contact was on the phone trying to get through to fords cruise control switch task force, and the number for ford kept repeating the options for the contact. The contact tried to get through for almost twenty minutes. Then the contact called back three different times.

Filed Aug 29, 2005 · Acceleration · IN · fire

Dt: owner's vehicle caught on fire while sitting in the driveway on thursday for about 5-10 minutes. The owner heard the horn honking and went outside to see that the vehicle was in flames. The fire was more concentrated in the driver's side near the windshield in the engine compartment. The owner called 911 and by the time the fire department got there the truck was engulfed in flames. The fire took about 10 minutes to extinguish. The vehicle was totaled. There was a fire investigation and the fire investigator said he knew what caused the fire ,and that he was still preparing the report. There was no police report. The fire investigator said the fire was caused by the cruise control switch. There was damage to a pop up camper that was located next to vehicle. Also, there was damage to the siding on the house and the gutters. There was some damage to the landscape timbers and some mulch and flowers were burned as well. The driveway was full of debris. The vehicle was towed to a towing company. The insurance company will come and take it to their agency storage location. The insurance company has been contacted, but the owner was unaware of whether the insurance company will conduct an investigation. The owner did not have the address, but did have the dealer's identification number which was listed in dealer information.

Filed Jul 13, 2005 · Acceleration · 161,000 miles · WA · fire

Dt june 4th, 2005 the vehicle burned to the ground. The fire dept came out and extinguished the fire. Two investigators came out and said the fire started from the cruise control switch. The deck burned on the side of the house and it also burned a tree. The vehicle had been sitting for 3 days before it caught fire.

Filed Jun 15, 2005 · Acceleration · TX

Dt: the vehicle has a problem with the cruise control switch.

Filed Jun 13, 2005 · Acceleration · OK

Dt: the consumer states that he is having problem with his 1998 ford expedition. There is a recall 05v017000 for the same problem. The dealership stated that the problem was cruise control. The cruise control switch quit working and melted the wiring harness.

Filed May 20, 2005 · Acceleration · 140,000 miles · VA · fire

On sunday 5-15-05, I had just returned home from visiting my brother in the hosp. From a gun shot wound to the face. I sat down in my front home and I have a glass storm door, so I could see outside. Not 5-min. After I was in the house I could see a lot of smoke outside. I said oh my god something is on fire. My husband and I went out with the fire extinguisher and raised the hood on the vehicle, there was no actual flames to be seen at that time, only smoke and melted wires.

Filed May 20, 2005 · Acceleration, Suspension · 13,000 miles · AR · fire

The consumer parked the vehicle for approximately 10 minutes, and upon her return, smoke was coming from under the hood. The consumer checked the vehicle, and the fire smoldered itself out. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, and the wire harness was burned. *ak the problem was caused by the cruise control sensor/switch. Ford stated that there was nothing they could do. The air suspension control module malfunctioned also the indicator for the gear shift had broken and were replaced. *sc

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