Tl* the contact owns a 1998 ford explorer. The contact stated that the vehicle was parked when the engine caught on fire. The fire department appeared on the scene to extinguish the fire. The contact was informed that the fire was electrical and originated near the cruise control switch. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileages were 96,160. The VIN was unavailable.
1998 Ford Explorer acceleration complaints
Page 2 of 10: complaints 11 to 40 of 280, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Tl* the contact owns a 1998 ford explorer. The contact stated that the vehicle was parked unoccupied outside of the contacts residence when it burst into massive flames. The fire department extinguished the fire and the vehicle was completely destroyed. A fire report was available. The contact stated that the manufacturer issued a voluntary recall pertaining to the speed control system modification under the federal safety agency campaign id number: 00v422000 (vehicle speed control) and the vehicle was included in the recall but had not yet been repaired. The contact believed the failure was related to the recall defect. The failure mileage was 167,000. Updated 05/03/11*lj updated 05/23/11
Tl*the contact owns a 1998 ford explorer. The contact stated that while driving approximately 10 MPH, the accelerator pedal broke off from the floorboard. The vehicle was not inspected or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure and current mileages were 140,000. Updated 03/15/11*lj updated 05/13/11
1998 ford explorer caught fire parked under my carport. 1/6/11 @ 14:00hrs.
1998 ford explorer VIN#[xxx] registered to the state of nevada; original owner: [xxx]...registered because of disability reasons to wife [xxx]...we were involved in a car crash accident...resulting to a total loss at baker, california because of the vehicle cruise control recall which could cause the tire to be treaded...pushing the car to be out of control..while the brake fluid leaking...and the air bag safety failed to develop (open). I think ford motor company is the primary responsible of the mechanical failure of the workmanship and the car design. I got in touch with their legal department: product recall & liability. The accident report# [xxx] ncic#[xxx]. The injured driver [xxx]; passenger and the permanent disabled passenger were taken to barstow community hospital emergency room. I need your help in removing all 1998 ford explorer from the road; this car could cause major & fatal injuries to the public at large. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).
Tl*the contact owns a 1998 ford explorer. The contact stated that while driving approximately 25 MPH and making a turn, the accelerator pedal separated from the firewall; the vehicle was unable to be driven after the failure. The vehicle was inspected by an independent mechanic who informed her that she needed to replace the accelerator pedal bracket. The vehicle had not been repaired for the accelerator pedal bracket. The failure mileage was unknown.
Tl* the contact owns a 1998 ford explorer. While parked, the contact stated that she smelled smoke coming from the steering column. She believed the failure to be similar to the federal safety agency campaign id number: 06v286000 (vehicle speed control). The manufacturer was notified of the failure and stated that they would be opening a case on her behalf to further inspect the failure. The contact did not inform the dealer. The vehicle was not repaired. The current and failure mileage was approximately 115,000.
Tl*the contact owns a 1998 ford explorer. The contact stated that the vehicle was parked when it suddenly caught fire. The fire department was called but a neighbor extinguished the fire. The vehicle was still drivable. The vehicle had not been inspected to find the cause of the fire. The contact believed the failure was caused by the cruise control when he researched recall 09v399000 (vehicle speed control) which was related. The contact had not spoken with the dealer nor the manufacturer at the time of the complaint. The current and failure mileages were approximately 113,000.
On july 17, 2010 the accelerator to my 1998 explorer (eddie bauer) stuck when I was trying to back a little ways down my drive way. The truck accelerated out of control and jumped the street hitting my neighbor porch damaging the porch and neighbor's yard. The police came and completed an accident report. The ford explorer was towed to the body shop and repaired towed to a local ford dealership for repair. The dealership says there is nothing wrong with the ford explorer. I traded the vehicle in. I have spoken to other 1998 ford explorer owners and they also have experienced the same problem.
While attempting to back of parking space at home, vehicle accelerated out of control and hit townhome across the street. Accelerator pedal was recently repaired at dealership (01/12/2010).
While attempting to back of a parking space, accelerator pedal was dangling from underneath the console completely unattached from the car. Vehicle had just been picked up from the ford dealership for other repairs. Called ford who came and diagnosed the vehicle, took it back to their shop, made repairs and brought SUV back to me at no charge.
I have a 1998 ford explorer, 4.0l v6 with almost 110k miles on the vehicle. On 2/24/10 I accelerated from a complete stop and the entire accelerator pedal assembly, detached from the fire wall at what looks like the spot wields. This almost resulted in a accident due to immediate vehicle deceleration. The entire assembly is now only "attached" to the car via the throttle cable. I was able to drive the car home by basically pulling the throttle cable. This was extremely dangerous as I had use one hand on the wheel while bending down to pull the cable. I was just able to see over the dash. I was told by santa margarita ford in orange county california, that it's not of their concern since they don't "fix" parts but replace them. They would charge me to "replace" the part. So no fix has been done to my vehicle yet. I will mostly likely drill and bolt the assembly to the firewall, since ford has no interest in "fixing" my car.
1998 ford explorer. Parked at restaurant, shut off vehicle, went inside. Approximately 10 minutes later someone yelled fire. Went outside to discover smoke and flames coming from the engine compartment. Fire department called and responded quickly. Fire extinguished, but vehicle totaled. No injuries, no other property damage except burned hedges that were in front of the vehicle where it was parked. Tow truck driver remarked that it appeared possible that it was one of those cruise control caused fires as it is evident that the fire originated on or near the brake master cylinder. I am the original owner, my son was using the truck when the fire occurred and I am relating his recollection of the events. Vehicle was towed immediately afterwards to a holding yard and subsequently to my home where it is presently.
After sitting in the driveway for aprox 9 hours, the engine area caught on fire at 4am. Speculation is the cruise control switch ignited and caused the fire. The front end of the vehicle is completely destroyed, as is the interior with smoke damage.
Tl* the contact owns a 1998 ford explorer. While parked he saw smoke and flames underneath of the hood of his vehicle. The dealer was contacted, and he was advised to bring the vehicle into the dealer. The speed control wiring harness had melted ; which caused fluid to leak . No repairs were made. He then received a letter for recall campaign id number: 09v399000 (vehicle speed control). The manufacturer will contact him with a response within a fifteen day period. The failure and current mileages were 155000.
While accelerating from a complete stop, the gas pedal snapped off and fell to the floor of the car. We were able to coast out of the intersection where it happened. Once stopped we discovered that the welds that held the petal to the fire-wall (I believe that is what the mechanic later called it) had broken. The mechanic was able to bolt the pedal back on. While there were no injuries, or irreparable damage to the car, it could have been a far more dangerous situation, as we were headed for a busy highway at the time. We feel ford should be aware of this incident, take responsibility for the cost of repair, and take steps to prevent this from happening in the future.
Tl*the contact owns a 1998 ford explorer. While driving approximately 45 MPH on normal road conditions, the accelerator pedal detached without warning. Immediately, the contact was able to pull over to the side of the road to inspect the failure. The driver temporarily repaired the accelerator pedal and continued to cautiously drive the vehicle. The driver believes that the failure was a life-threatening situation. The vehicle was taken to the authorized dealer for inspection and repaired. The failure and current mileages were 140,000.
Tl*the contact owns a 1998 ford explorer. While driving approximately 45 MPH on normal road conditions, the accelerator pedal disengaged without warning. Immediately, the vehicle was pulled over to the side of the road. The driver temporarily repaired the accelerator pedal and the vehicle resumed normal operation. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for inspection and they repaired the accelerator pedal. The manufacturer has been notified of the malfunction. The failure and current mileages were 140,000.
Tl*the contact owns a 1998 ford explorer. The contact received a recall notice for the federal safety agency campaign id number 06v286000 (vehicle speed control), but did not take the vehicle to the dealer for repair. She was awakened by a neighbor informing her that the vehicle was on fire. The entire front wiring system was melted. An investigator from the fire department speculated that the cruise control was the cause of the failure. The contact has pictures of the failed incident and she is in the process of notifying the manufacturer. The failure and current mileages were unknown.
Tl*the contact owns a 1998 ford explorer. The contact heard a huge explosion coming from her driveway and noticed that the vehicle was engulfed in flames. The vehicle was destroyed. There were no warning signs prior to the failure. The contact called the fire department and they extinguished the fire. The cause of the failure was undetermined. A police report was filed. She called her insurance company and is in the process of notifying the manufacturer. The failure mileage was 143,000. Updated 03/17/09. *lj updated 03/17/09.
Tl*the contact owns a 1998 ford explorer. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer to be repaired according to the federal safety agency campaign id number 06v286000 (vehicle speed control). After the repair, the speed control no longer worked. A private mechanic also stated that the wiring inside the column, which connected to the air bag, was melted and caused the air bags to malfunction. The contact returned to the dealer with the report from the mechanic. The dealer denied the free repair request and stated that the repair would not be covered under the recall. The dealer also stated that to remedy the issue, the contact would have to pay $2,500 to replace the wiring, air bags, and the part used for the speed control repair. The manufacturer has not yet been notified. The current mileage was approximately 158,000 and failure mileage was approximately 157,000.
1998 ford explorer spontaneously caught fire in engine compartment 8am, 12/02/08. Car was previously driven 12 hours prior to incident. Engine was not running. Doors were locked. No signs of entry prior to incident. Fire engulfed engine and spread to passenger compartment before alameda fire department extinguished vehicle. Insurance company has claimed vehicle as totaled and is investigating. Suspected cause is cruise control shutoff switch, subject to ford recall 05s28.
Tl*the contact owns a 1998 ford explorer. While parked in the driveway, the vehicle caught fire without warning. A family member safely extinguished the fire. The vehicle was completely destroyed. The contact has a copy of the report from the fire department. The manufacturer stated that her vehicle was included in the federal safety agency campaign id number 06v286000 (vehicle speed control); however, they would not assume financial responsibility because the component already failed. The contact stated that she never received a recall notice in the mail. As of october 14, 2008, she has not received a remedy for the failure. The failure mileage was 160,000.
My accelerator pedal bracket separated from the firewall, causing lack of throttle control. This bracket is spot welded, and ford has a tsb regarding this item failure. I think this should be a recall.
I had a 1998 2dr ford explorer that caught on fire for no reason at my job on june 17, 2008. It was a under the hood fire. I arrived at work at 8:26 a.m. A couple of minutes after 11:00 a.m. Is when the building manager knocked on my door and told me the fire department was looking for me because my truck had caught on fire. The car ended up being a total loss. Everything on the inside was severely smoke damaged. My radio melted and I loss certain paper work that I had in my glove compartment. My heater cord was left on the ground along with some other wires after the tow truck towed my truck away. That's how burned up my truck was.
Tl*the contact owns a 1998 ford explorer. While parked at the contact's job, the vehicle began smoking and then caught fire under the hood. Everything under the hood was melted. The contact did not know if the vehicle was destroyed. When he called the dealer, he was informed that there was no safety recall pertaining to his VIN; therefore, he would be responsible for the repair costs. The federal safety agency campaign id number 00v422000 (vehicle speed control) was referenced. The correct incident date was unavailable. The current and failure mileages were 149,382.
Fire in engine bay originating at the cruise control deactivation switch.
Tl*the contact owns a 1998 ford explorer. The contact received a ford recall notice for the vehicle speed control: cruise control switch in august of 2006. She called the dealer in august of 2007 and they stated that the parts would be unavailable until november. She called the dealer every other month and they stated that the parts would be unavailable until august of 2008. The contact refused to have the cruise control switch disconnected. The vehicle has not caught fire and there had been no failure to date. The transmission type, recall number, and powertrain were unknown. The current mileage was 105,000.
Tl*the contact's son owns a 1998 ford explorer. The contact stated that the accelerator pedal detached from the frame of the vehicle while his son was driving 30 MPH. His son was able to safely stop the vehicle and had it towed to a ford dealer. The dealer stated that the accelerator pedal bracket detached from the dash pane area. The contact would have to pay $634 to have the vehicle repaired. The dealer would have to re-weld the engine panel. The purchase date was unknown. The current and failure mileages were 80,000.
Loss of acceleration while traveling through an intersection due to the accelerator pedal bracket spot weld failure. Minor child was driving auto when the accelerator pedal fell over to its side. No power. Luckily was able to coast through intersection without being hit. My inspection revealed all three spot welds had failed. Further, the middle weld of the three was only about 1mm in diameter with the outermost two yielding a nugget size of approx. 5mm. The bracket spot welds failed due to the firewall sheet metal fatigue. The firewall sheetmetal completely pulled loose leaving three holes where the spot welds were. This area of workmanship is of concern to me as it endangered the lives of my children due to the vehicle loosing power in the middle of a busy intersection. The failure was reported to a customer service rep with ford but the only response I received was that I would be responsible for any repairs since the auto was out of the warranty period. Cost was not my concern, giving notice of what is clearly a safety matter was my concern. I was informed that no current bulletins or recalls existed for the described problem. I feel there should be. These welds should never fail. My background? I am a welding specialist for a major automotive manufacturer in the u.s. I do have supporting photos of the failed spot welds.
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