I was driving and I saw and smelt smoke. I immediately could tell where it was coming from because I saw the smoke coming out of the hazard light on top of my steering wheel, it then turned into a flame,it was inside of the steering wheel. I pulled off to the side of the road because fortunately I had water with me and I poured a little bit of water on the flames that were coming out of where the hazard light is. This has happened 2 times,with the final result being 2 fires. It happened a 3rd time with just smoke. I no longer have the ability to use my windshield wipers and some of my interior lights no longer work. I don't know if this has caused other problems ie...my check engine light being on as well as my cruise control working when it wants to and other times not working at all plus the buttons on the inner side of the steering wheel being hot to the touch! I'm terrified to drive my own car!
2001 Ford Explorer: adaptive cruise control problems
17 of the 375 complaints about the 2001 Ford Explorer describe adaptive cruise control problems.
- owner complaints
- 17
- of this car's complaints
- 5%
- typical mileage
- 71,000
- recalls
- 0
Adaptive cruise control problems by model year
What owners say
My ford explorer 2001 had a recall notice last year regarding cruise control. I took my vehicle into bremen ford in bremen, in to have it disconnected. I was told it would get the part in shortly. This was in november of 2007. In april I received a letter from ford stating the problem should have been fixed or will be shortly through the summer. As yet, it is going on a year and I have heard absolutely nothing about the parts or getting my truck fixed. What seems to be the problem. I heard there were not enough parts to go around. What does this safe for your company? You should not sent out a notice unless you intend to remedy the problem. How much longer am I supposed to wait?
Tl*the contact owns a 2001 ford explorer. While driving 75 MPH, the contact activated the cruise control. She began hearing a clicking noise and smelled something burning. He deactivated the cruise control, but the burning smell persisted. The contact did not continue to drive the vehicle. He received a safety recall notice three months ago, but the switch was never disconnected or repaired. The federal safety agency campaign id number 07v336000 (vehicle speed control) was referenced. The current and failure mileages were 80,016.
On wednesday january 2, 2008 a rollover accident occured on my wifes 2001 ford explorer. She was driving home when she set her cruise control to 60 MPH. When she hit her brakes to release the cruise control and slow down, the vehicle did not slow down and her cruise control did not release. She was able to get the vehicle slowed down to approximately 40 MPH when she came to a t in the road. She was unable to make the turn and the vehicle rolled over with her and 2 young children in the vehicle.
I have a '01 ford explorer involved in a safety recall for the cruise control issued in aug-07, as of today 5-dec-07) my local dealer still does not have parts and have been told not to expect them until 1st quarter. Unsatisfactory and unacceptable. Is ford delaying so the expense does not hit them this year? They could show a better profit for 2007 if so. Sounds like manipulating the books to me, at the expense of consumer safety.
Tl*the contact owns a 2001 ford explorer. The vehicle caught fire while parked. The fire was contained to the engine compartment and extinguished by the fire department. The vehicle was destroyed. The purchase date was unknown. The current and failure mileages were 95,000. The consumer stated he would like ford to furnish another vehicle and be reimbursed for rental cars as a result of this incident. The consumer provided pictures, 2 engineers report and 2 letters from ford regarding the incident. The consumer stated his cruise control stopped working last winter. The brake fluid was low on 2 occassions. Updated 08/01/07
Tl* - the contact stated that while his 2001 ford explorer was parked in the driveway, the vehicle caught on fire underneath the hood. The fire damaged the entire front end of the vehicle, the electrical wiring, piping and anything that was concerning plastic melted in the vehicle. The fire dpeartment stated that this falure was common with ford explorer, that the cruise control switch would get stuck and catch on fire. Contact can provide incident report and pictures. Jrb
Dt*: the contact stated while driving 55 MPH, the throttle and speed control stuck causing the vehicle to surge over 90 MPH. The cruise control was not in use at the time. The brakes would not work and the contact stated the constant pressure to the brakes caused them to smoke and almost catch on fire. There were no lights illuminated on the dashboard prior to the incident. The dealership was alerted. There were no problems with the vehicle's cruise control prior to the incident.
Dt: the contact owns a 2001 ford explorer. The contact stated cruise control was not working properly. She had the cruise control set at 35 MPH while going up a hill, but was pulled over by the police, and they stated she was going approximately 65 MPH. The consumer showed the police that this was what actually happened. This happened 7 times in the last 4 months. The on/off switch that was used to disengage the cruise control will not work, and the contact had to apply the brakes hard to disengage the cruise control. The contact has not been to a service dealer to have the vehicle inspected, and has not contacted the manufacturer. The contact stated the lights on the steering wheel did not illuminate. The fuse has been replaced to remedy this situation, but it did not fix the lights problem.
2001 ford explorer 4 wheel drive the cruise control has burned out on the steering column. This started approximately 8-9 months ago and the steering column kept having smoke come out of it while I was driving. Then it would stop, and just start up out of the blue,but about 4 mts. Ago the cruise control finally went out. This item has been recalled on may vehicles of the same year, but my particular VIN# has not been recalled. My SUV has the exact problem that has happened in many of the vehicles and there is a recall already in place, just not for my VIN #. They want me to repair it at my cost.
While the vehicle was parked a fire started under the hood. The vehicle was totaled. *jb the problem may be related to the cruise control as other ford model vehicles. *sc
Was driving approximately 50 MPH heard a popping noise. Noticed white smoke coming from steering column. No flames appeared. Pulled vehicle over and shut everything down. Contacted police and towed the truck. At the mechanic's shop was informed that the cruise control cable was pinched off and started the electrical fire. No injuries reported. *ak
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the 2001 Ford Explorer adaptive cruise
Is adaptive cruise control problems a common problem on the 2001 Ford Explorer?
17 of 375 owner complaints about the 2001 Ford Explorer (5%) mention adaptive cruise control problems. The model year with the most reports is 1998.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2001 Ford Explorer?
There is no recall or service bulletin for this area of the car on record.
Other symptoms on the 2001 Ford Explorer
Tire blowout 25Fire or smoke 22No deployment 10Pulling 10Stalling 9Ball joint 8Grinding brakes 7Loss of power 7Airbag light 5Check engine light 5Seat belt 5Transmission failure 5Wipers 5
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