Regarding the federal safety agency Recall Number 05V017000; * Component: Speed control deactivation switch. Available for inspection. * Safety Risk: Spontaneous fire occurred on 07/20/2026 at apx 1am destroying the vehicle, damaging two other vehicles, and nearly burning down our home. *Problem Reproduced: Unknown * Component Inspected: Yes, by HOI claims adjuster. * Any warning lamps/ messages?: I had been dealing with a engine light about 1 year earlier that popped up again about 3 months ago. The codes indicated "Lean bank-Right" and "Lean bank-Left". Facts: On July 20, 2026, at approximately 1:00 AM, my 1997 Ford F-150 spontaneously caught fire while parked in my garage. The vehicle had not been started for well over a week. The fire raged directly under our bedroom for over 40 minutes before the fire department was able to attempt containment, nearly burning our house to the ground. There were also two other vehicles in the garage at the time. We are currently in the early stages of a major Homeowners Insurance (HOI) restoration claim. Fortunately, the fire scene in the garage remains intact as of this date while the HOI conducts their investigations. We have learned that the likely cause is a poorly designed, defective cruise control system—a known Ford issue that has resulted in many spontaneous fires. Despite owning this vehicle since 1999, I never received notice from Ford, and was unaware of the associated manufacturer recall (the federal safety agency #05V017000).
Ford F Series fire or smoke problems
32 of the 302 owner complaints about the Ford F Series describe fire, smoke or burning smell, most of them for the 2001 model year.
- owner complaints
- 32
- worst model year
- 2001
- typical mileage
- 140,000
By model year
Often reported together
Adaptive cruise 8Tire blowout 2Pulling 1Loss of power 1Hesitation 1Fuel smell 1Knocking 1Check engine light 1
What owners say
Truck was driven then parked, 15 minutes later while mowing the grass, I looked over at the parked truckand it was on fire. The fire started at the brake master cylinder and it was a total loss.
My vehicle had been parked since 7.30 am in my parents driveway until 4.15 when it just caught on fire and completely burnt. Destroying a major portion of my parents driveway pavement. It appears to have started at the firewall of the truck as I said it was parked and the ignition was off. I have my truck keys with me so I can show proof positive the vehicle ignition was off. I have done some research and found that there was a recall on my vehicle in jan. 2005 I did not then nor have I ever received a recall notice from ford or anyone. My concern is who is going to repair the damage to my parents drive way and since it is a recall issue do I not deserve to have my vehicle replaced with vehicle of my choice?
On saturday april 18, 2015, my vehicle had been towed due to it catching on fire while being parked.
The truck was parked in a strip mall parking lot. A few minutes later someone said that there were flames coming from the hood. The car was a total in 10 minutes. Four off duty firemen were there and could not put the flames out. Near by fire station was called. Its response was with in a few minutes. Truck was totaled.
On march 30, 2014, at approximately 3:00 p.m. (pst) my 2000 ford f-150 unexpectedly caught on fire. The truck was stationary in my driveway when suddenly black smoke and fire could be seen coming out of the driver side wheel well. The fire engulfed the driver side of the engine compartment melting all the plastic, wiring and the air intake area. The fire melted everything near the master cylinder and the cruise control housing.
Was approaching a stop light, when all of a sudden my radio went out, my gauges started to go crazy, then my truck had shut off and turned back on. After that I noticed smoke coming from under the hood went to press my brakes, I had no brakes. So I turned into a parking lot, where now my gauges had pegged all to one side, more smoke was coming from under the hood, and now I still didn't have no brakes or power steering. So I slammed the truck into park, then shut it off. I popped the hood and noticed a small fire under the master cylinder and the brake lines going to the master cylinder where fire engine red. Tried putting out the fire but had a defective fire extinguisher. The fire spread and has severely damaged the truck, it is at the point of no return.
My 2001 f 150 super crew start on fire in a parking lot I live in mexico but this truck was made in the USA, the fire started about 45 minutes after the engine was turned off.
On august 1, 2010, our ford f150 (VIN [xxx]) started on fire and burned from the engine on out. The hood is totally burned through and the windshield also burned. The entire engine compartment is ruined. The truck was in our driveway at the time and we were alerted my neighbors who saw flames shooting 10' into the sky. We believe this engine fire was due to one of the recalls of ford's faulty switches or wiring that ignited the spark into a full burn.
I was driving my 1999 ford f150 4x4 with 5.4l engine home from work and stopped at traffic light. The light turned green and I proceeded to go and then "pow" the truck began to make a loud "popping" noise and lost all engine power. I was in the middle of the intersection and somehow managed to keep it running long enough to get through the intersection and on a side road. I hesitated to open the hood because of the strong gasoline smell but it wasn't on fire "yet" so I opened it and found one of my ignition coils (coil packs) loose on top of the intake manifold. Upon further inspection I realized the spark plug had blown out of the aluminum cylinder head. I was able to catch a ride to the auto parts store with coil and plug in hand. The salesman at the store immediately knew what had happened and even knew the engine was a 5.4l before being told. He said that if I was lucky I would probably just have to install a helicoil or threaded insert in it. The other option was to replace the cylinder head. I purchased new coil and plug then drove back to my truck. I tried to clean the threads with a spark plug thread chaser but there were no threads left to clean. I searched the web and found numerous complaints of the same issue. Some people said they had multiple spark plugs blow out or "spit out" on the same vehicle. Why doesn't ford have a recall on this? The gasoline smell was due to the fuel injector still spraying while the plug was blown out of the head. What if it had caught on fire? I haven't repaired it yet but will try the "repair kit" that was handed to me when I bought the coil and plug. I think ford should recall all the 5.4l engines that have this problem and install the helicoil or insert to prevent a customer breakdown or a potential vehicle fire.
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the Ford F Series fire or smoke
Which Ford F Series years have fire, smoke or burning smell problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2001 (8 complaints), 1997 (5 complaints) and 1994 (4 complaints).
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