2000 Ford Expedition: fire, smoke or burning smell

Filed Jul 2, 2026 · Acceleration · UT · fire

On XXX my 2000 Ford Expedition caught on fire at around 2am. It had not been driven or turned on since XXX, and was sitting parked that whole time. It was parked in the parking lot of my apartment building, right outside of my unit. I was woken up by a loud pop which I believe was the tire exploding, and the flames were tall enough to see outside my second story bedroom window. My entire apartment building was evacuated by the fire department, and some doors were kicked in by them, including mine. After they put the fire out, the fire inspector looked for two hours to determine a cause and were only able to determine that the fire started under the hood, on the drivers side, close to the dashboard area. The vehicle was completely totaled in the fire, and my other car parked next to it was damaged from the fire as well, and the apartment building had a lot of damage from the fire and heat spreading to it. Multiple residents were displaced for a few days at the advice of the fire department, to let units air out from the carcinogenic fumes. The vehicle has been towed and signed over to AutoMoto Salvage yard. I was researching what could have started this fire and found this article where the federal safety agency investigated over 600 spontaneous Ford vehicle fires including year 2000 Ford Expeditions, caused by cruise control deactivation switches, which are located in the same place under the hood that the fire department determined my fire originated. [XXX] My vehicle was not listed in any recall, but that article states that over 200 vehicles that caught fire were not either. I'm unsure if the salvage yard still has it available for inspection. It has not been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer. It was inspected by the fire department and police department - insurance did not do their own inspection. There were no warning signs and the vehicle was running like normal. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Filed Dec 5, 2025 · TX · fire

while driving smoke came from under my hood by the time i opened it was a full blown fire on the passenger side near the fuel injectors and spark plugs. we called 911 police and fire department came a nearby business owner loaned a fire extinguisher and we got the fire out. the fire men say it was caused by a spark plug that had came out caught spark with oil or gas it damaged hoses electrical and not sure what else yet.

Filed Feb 28, 2021 · Body, Electrical · 10,000 miles · CA · fire

My 2000 ford expedition was parked at my job parking lot for 3hrs, when it caught fire underneath the hood near the master cylinder, drivers side, near the firewall. I contacted ford motor company, bbb, and consumer affairs, which all attempts were ignored.

Filed Feb 2, 2020 · Body, Engine · 195,000 miles · OH · fire

My truck has been running fine with new parts on it. I went to my friend's house went in to switch my laundry, looked out her window and my was on fire!! Truck off and keys were not in ignition and it was parked in a driveway under a carport. It posed no problems on the way over there, no smells, no sounds, no nothing. And then bam! Hood shooting out flames.

Filed Apr 15, 2019 · Electrical · 258,000 miles · TX · fire

My expedition caught on fire parked in my driveway at least 30 minutes after driving it. I was able to put the fire out with a fire extinguisher and a water hose, but the plastic parts were were melted on the driver side. The battery was disconnected and I was told by a mechanic that it was the cruise control relay.

Filed Mar 6, 2018 · Acceleration, Brakes · 201,000 miles · MD · fire

Tl* the contact owns a 2000 ford expedition. While the vehicle was undergoing an oil change, the cruise control switch underneath the hood that was connected to the brake master cylinder caught on fire. The contact stated that the ignition was off at the time. The contact was able to extinguish the fire. A fire report was not filed. The contact, a certified mechanic, stated that there was brake fluid coming out of the cruise control switch. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 201,000.

Filed Nov 30, 2017 · Acceleration · 193,000 miles · CA · fire

I have owned a 2000 ford expedition for approx. 3 yrs. And on nov. 22, 2017 while my vehicle was sitting in the parking lot at my work(approx. 3hrs) it decided to light itself on fire! I later found out that there had been a recall on the speed control deactivation switch. I have never been notified of this recall and am extremely angry as I have put over $10,000 worth of upgrades to the vehicle. Had I been notified of this recall I would have taken care of it immediately. The recall number is 05v017000 and ford recall number is 05s28. I have contacted ford about this and have not had any response. Before I contact an attorney I would like to know if there is anything the federal safety agency can do to help? Thank you for your time.

Filed Dec 15, 2016 · Body, Electrical · 186,000 miles · NC · fire

My vehicle was parked in the driveway and I was alerted by my dogs barking. I opened my garage door to see the entire engine compartment on fire. The fire was so intense that everything under the hood had melted.the fire marshals said the alternator cause it

Filed Jan 11, 2016 · Electrical, Engine · 141,000 miles · OK · fire

The vehicle was parked in a store parking lot, not running/ignition off, and it caught fire under the hood near the brake master cylinder. The fire damaged everything in the upper portion of the engine compartment, the hood, the cowling and the grill. Probably not repairable.

Filed Aug 29, 2015 · Body, Electrical · 150,000 miles · PR · fire

Vehicle caught fire around 10:25 pm. Vehicle was park and cold since the last time it was used was around 1:00 pm the same day. My wife got home and was parking her car a sudenly saw the ford expedition caching fire and flames coming out of the enginge compartment. Vehicle is total there are no possibility of repair.

Filed Jul 22, 2015 · Acceleration · 130,000 miles · LA · fire

Tl* the contact owned a 2000 ford expedition. While stationary, the vehicle erupted into flames. The contact was alerted of the fire by neighbors. The fire department was contacted to extinguish the flames. The vehicle was destroyed. An investigator assessed that the failure was due to a defective cruise control deactivation switch which was related to an unknown manufacturer recall. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The approximate failure mileage was 130,000.

Filed Aug 16, 2014 · Engine, Fuel system · 155,000 miles · IA

Just stopped at stop light, pulled away and heard a small popping noise, slowed down to turn corner to try to pull over and look and vehicle started popping like a popcorn popper. Thought it was muffler(s). Got under car to look nothing wrong there, proceeded to go back home. ( less than 5 blocks away) driving on (coasting) only using gas pedal to make it into driveway. Got under hood and seen spark plug laying on engine, coil looing like it had caught fire. Replaced wire, plug and put a helix coil on it. Drove for about a month. Same thing happened again. Had mechanic "rethread" the head and use "sleeve". This lasted about another month. Had to replace it 3 more times (always the same plug that popped out) until august 2 when it didn't even make it out of my driveway before it popped again. Now it is sitting in my driveway, a 5100 pound "lawn ornament" not looking forward to replacing the head.