2004 Ford Explorer: fire, smoke or burning smell

Filed Jan 6, 2016 · Engine · 155,000 miles · VI · fire

Tl* the contact owned a 2004 ford explorer. The contact heard a loud boom and discovered that his parked vehicle was on fire. The fire department extinguished the flames. The insurance company determined that the vehicle was destroyed. There were no injuries. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The VIN was invalid. The approximate failure mileage was 155,000.

Filed Apr 26, 2012 · Engine · NJ · fire

On 1/17/12 driving on highway and noticed a burning smell. It was a strong smell. Noticed a glow under the dashboard and pulled into a empty parking lot. The truck went up in flames. Called ford and they said prove what happened. Not sure but the vehicle was in very good condition with no problems that I knew of before this fire. No one was hurt.

Filed Apr 14, 2012 · Body, Visibility · 100,000 miles · OH

While loading groceries, I noticed the hinges to my rear window were cracked. I quit using the window in fear of it breaking. The cost to replace the plastic hinge is completely outrageous! I also had a friend call today and his hinge broke, thankfully the glass did not break. Ford knows the hinges are defective. Why would a major company like ford overlook this problem and take a chance of many law suits due to their negligence? There are over 1600 complaints recorded. How many more is needed for a recall? Ford needs to stand behind their product. I hesitated buying this ford because my first ford caught fire while I was driving it. Thirty years later I still think of all the bad stories and now, I want my chevy back.

Filed Feb 17, 2012 · Wheels · IA · fire

On the highway, passing a tractor trailer and the right rear wheel bearings gave out. Wheel froze and caught on fire. Pulled over and fortunately others had stopped and assisted in putting fire out. Was terrifying - our children were sitting in the back! We then ended up stranded away from home as we were on a family trip.

Filed Dec 19, 2010 · Engine · 120,000 miles · CA · fire

My wife was driving our 2004 ford explorer eddie bauer uphill on a mountain road when she felt like the engine is loosing power. She stopped, exited the vehicle and saw smoke coming from under the car in the engine area. Then some people stopped and pulled her away because from the point my wife was standing she could not see the actual fire. As a result the engine compartment burned down completely creating a big hole in the hood. The car had about 120k miles on odometer and we have not missed any service maintenance points. She said besides that power loss there was no indication that there is something wrong with the vehicle.

Filed Oct 15, 2010 · Acceleration, Brakes · 102,000 miles · TX · fire

My 2004 ford explorer caught on fire today. The fire began under the hood. Per the fire department, the fire started around the cruise control and brake master cylinder area. Ford does not have a recall out for this year model, unlike the 2003 and older models, but this is definitely a manufacturer problem. The car was driven to several points, drop the kids of at school, one at daycare, and a stop for breakfast. Nothing was wrong with our car. After arriving to work, my wife got a call that her car was on fire. There were no signs, malfunctions that something was wrong with the vehicle. Regularly scheduled maintenance were always performed.

Filed Apr 3, 2008 · Acceleration · 74,178 miles · FL · fire

Parked car outside garage @ 23:00 hours. Approx. 01:15 am neighbors were banging on our windows to wake us up saying our car and house were on fire.

Filed Sep 25, 2007 · Acceleration, Body · 63,000 miles · TX · fire

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. The contact stated that the vehicle would not start. She depressed the accelerator pedal and the vehicle started and began to vibrate. She then placed the vehicle in reverse and heard a loud clunking noise. She smelled a strong gas odor inside the passenger compartment. The contact looked in her rearview mirror and noticed a large amount of smoke coming from the exhaust system. She parked the vehicle and had it towed. She then noticed that all of the radiator fluid leaked out. The mechanic stated that the valve failed and damaged the entire engine. The mechanic also stated that the engine needed to be replaced and appeared to be a manufacturer defect. The current and failure mileages were 63,000. The consumer also stated had problems prior to incident with sun visor falling off, gear shaft would not shift into park, engine sluggish, and while using cruise control vehicle would just shut off. Updated 10/22/07

Filed Feb 9, 2005 · Acceleration · FL · fire

Vehicle was parked in a parking garage and the attendant saw smoke coming from the roof of the vehicle, and it automatically burned while parked.

Filed Jul 14, 2004 · Electrical · 1,238 miles · TX · fire

While driving at approximately 20 MPH other vehicles were pointing at consumer's vehicle, indicating that the vehicle was on fire. Smoke was coming from the hood, the base of the chassis, the vents, and from the tire hub. The hub caps melted. The fire also disinterested the brakes. Vehicle had to be stopped by the use of the emergency brake. Consumer took the vehicle to a ford dealership, who advised the consumer to take it to the dealership where it was purchased. This dealership provided no assistance. Consumer refused to drive the vehicle to the other dealership because of the condition of the vehicle, which was currently under warranty. Dealer stated that the cause of the fire was undetermined.