1996 Ford Explorer: adaptive cruise control problems

Filed May 12, 2017 · Acceleration · 226,000 miles · CA

Safety recall 09s09 - scds (speed control deactivation switch) on ford models made after 95 with a texas made deactivation switch that was made poorly. I purchased a 1996 ford explorer eddie bauer edition 4x4 truck in december of 2016, from a private party in nevada.the vehicle was purchased mainly so I could deliver as part of my job description and needed something with 4x4 since I live in snow. Did a test drive, everything seemed to work properly and drive nicely, drove it from reno, nv to portola, ca about 62 miles, everything still fine. The next day I got into the vehicle, was heading to the gas station when I realized the speedometer was not working properly, the arm went to 20mph and dropped to 0 and the vehicle began shifted bad from low to high gears on the automatic transmission. As I continued to drive, the RPM went high, little over 3rph and felt like the transmission was sticking over drive light flashes, then the check engine light. Did a code reader and said my seed sensor was no good. Replaced the vss, check engine light went off for about 15 miles, then same issue.I did a full time up, no change,did another reading, same code for speed sensor replaced again, same issue. Seen online I have a recall on the speed sensor and cruise control, made appointment with ford after flexplate shredded, ford sent me to a "friends" mechanic who refused to touch my truck who then sent me to another mechanic until I called ford again who rescheduled me to come back a week later. I'm afraid to drive the car especially in and out of state due to this recall and the safety concerns that go with it. I'd like help on what I can do in this situation and be reimbursed for the time I haven't driven my vehicle or been able to perform my duties at work, and the money I've spent fixing the issue that shouldn't even exist.

Filed Jun 28, 2010 · Acceleration · 91,309 miles · KS · fire

Tl* the contact owns a 1996 ford explorer. She stated the vehicle was left parked for approximately one hour. When the contact returned to the vehicle, she noticed the cruise control switch had overheated and melted. The contact was able to drive the vehicle home without incident. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing or repairs. The manufacturer would not provide any assistance. There was not a recall for the failure. The failure and current mileages were 91,309.

Filed May 24, 2010 · Acceleration · 12,700 miles · SC

Tl*the contact owns a 1996 ford explorer. The contact received repairs for recall 09v399000 (vehicle speed control) in april 2010. However, the cruise control buttons had melted. The contact called the dealer who stated that the failure was separate from the recall problem. The contact stated that there was no problem with the cruise control prior to the repair. The failure mileage was approximately 12,700. The current mileage was 127,155.

Filed Nov 3, 2009 · Acceleration · 155,000 miles · VA

Tl* the contact owns a 1996 ford explorer. The controls for the cruise control became dislodged and he could not put them back. The dealer was notified, but he did not receive any assistance. He received recall notice # 09v399000 (vehicle speed control). A technician stated that they would repair the part described under the recall that would cause the fire but not repair the controls. The controls should also be repaired because without there functioning, the cruise control could not be activated. The current mileage was approximately 157,000. The failure mileage was approximately 155,000.

Filed May 20, 2008 · Acceleration, Brakes · 127,000 miles · FL · fire

Tl*the contact owns a 1996 ford explorer. While placing fuel in the vehicle, the contact noticed smoke underneath the hood. He opened the hood and noticed that the vehicle was on fire. The fire was doused with a fire extinguisher. The contact examined the damage and noticed that the wiring harness for the cruise control had melted, as well as the master cylinder. There were no warning signs prior to the failure. The vehicle has not been diagnosed by the dealer. The current and failure mileages were 127,000.

Filed Aug 17, 2007 · Acceleration · 190,000 miles · MD

Tl*the contact owns a 1996 ford explorer. He noticed the on/off cruise control switch became tacky and his thumb print was left on the switch. There is a recall for the vehicle speed control (the federal safety agency campaign #97v074000), however his VIN was not included. The failure mileage was 190,000 and the current mileage was 191,000.

Filed Feb 4, 2007 · Acceleration · NJ · fire

My 1996 ford explorer unexpectedly went up in flames between the hours of 3 am - 4 am on 12/27/2006. I was later informed by my insurance company that a defective cruise control switch might have caused this to occur.

Filed Sep 7, 2006 · Acceleration · 88,900 miles · FL

Dt*: the contact stated while driving 82 MPH with the cruise control engaged, the vehicle began to accelerate continuously without warning. The speed of the vehicle rose past 97 MPH. The brakes were applied and the cruise control button was disengaged, which did not change the speed. The vehicle was then shifted into neutral, and the brakes were applied with excessive force which slowed the vehicle down. The vehicle was not taken in for service following the incident.

Filed Aug 22, 2006 · Acceleration · 171,000 miles · CA

Dt*: the contact stated the vehicle accelerated uncontrollably to 80 MPH on the highway without warning while traveling 60 MPH. The vehicle was not controllable by the applied brakes. The cruise control was not engaged. The contact put the transmission into neutral and reapplied the brakes, which assisted in stopping the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who determined that the speed control could have caused the problem. The same problem occurred on 4 other occasions. The vehicle accelerated while stopped at a stop sign on 07/22/06.

Filed Jan 24, 2006 · Acceleration · 167,325 miles · CA

I was driving my 96 ford explorer sport, traveling 65 MPH on a freeway, when the car rpms suddenly went up to 5500 without me doing anything. The cruise control was not on. As the car accelerated I depressed the brakes and was only able to slow down slightly, I then reached down to check if something was contacting the accelerator and I also pulled the floor mat back. The car continued to accelerate past 80 MPH. Pumping the accelerator did not change anything. I have a manual transmission so I pushed down the clutch and the car slowed, however, the RPM stayed at 5500. I made it to the side of the freeway and turned off the car. I restarted it after the engine stopped and the RPM went back up to 5500. I then stopped the engine again and waited 5 minutes and then restarted and the car was then running normally. I took it to a ford dealer and they could not find a reason for the problem as there were no engine malfunction codes that would cause the incident and the accelerator and cruise control cables were in good condition. They suggested that the floor mat could have been the cause but I'm sure that was not the cause as I pulled the floor mat away and there was no change in the problem. The service tech and the dealership were honest and told me they could not find a cause and nothing was done to fix the problem.

Filed Oct 20, 2005 · Acceleration, Electrical · GA · fire

Dt: contact stated in 02-05 the car started smoking while driving. The consumer pulled over and there was a fire under the hood. The car was destroyed. The fire department was called. The consumer reported of having no problems with the cruise control prior to this happening. The consumer was unable to determine what may have caused the fire. He was not sure if it was electrical or caused by the vehicle speed control:cruise control. *ak

Filed Oct 13, 2005 · Acceleration · KY

I was driving from louisville to rehoboth beach, de. I left around 4:00 am with no trouble with my car. Approximately 9:45 am est my cruise control went out on my car and my car kept accelerating and would not stop. I pushed every button on the steering wheel and kept pushing the brakes and that would only slow down the car. My car was traveling in excess of 80+ MPH, I only had the cruise control set on 74. My car was driving out of control on the curvy and mountainous roads of hwy 79 n and this went on for around 5 miles before I came to a straight-away at the bottom of the mountain and was able to put my car in neutral (slamming on the breaks) my car still did not stop, I finally put it in park (I'm in the emergency lane now, ) still did not stop and turned the car off. My breaks were smoking and I was finally able to get the car to stop. This was between mile marker 71 & 72. I immediately called aaa (my cell phone was out of range so I had to put it on roam) and the highway patrol showed up within minutes and waited with me until the tow truck came. He then towed me to gassaway ford where the service manager (john smallwood) checked out my car and told me the cruise control piece was defective. He removed it from my car and checked my breaks and said they were o.k. (I drove the rest of my trip to rehoboth and back to louisville, the breaks appear to be loose now and not as tight as they once were). He gave me the defective piece and they were out of that part so it was not replaced on my car. He advised to file a complaint with ford and with the federal safety agency because the piece was defective and I'm lucky I wasn't killed.