Ford Transit fire or smoke problems

Filed Nov 4, 2026 · Electrical · FL · fire

On [XXX], a 2015 Ford Transit van , rented through Turo, caught fire shortly after being started while parked in our driveway. My husband started the vehicle with the air-conditioning system in its previously selected operating position. He made no adjustments to the climate controls. He then exited the driver’s area and walked around the vehicle to load a cooler into the rear. Within moments, he noticed smoke coming from inside the vehicle. The doors were open, and it was apparent that the smoke and fire were coming from within the dashboard area, near the climate-control components. The fire developed rapidly and caused extensive damage to the vehicle. The incident occurred during normal vehicle operation, without any apparent warning or unusual activity preceding the fire. We are concerned about a possible electrical failure involving the dashboard wiring, HVAC blower motor, fan controls, or related electrical components. However, the precise cause has not been determined. The vehicle remains on our property and has not yet undergone a physical fire-origin-and-cause investigation. We are submitting this complaint to document a potentially serious vehicle safety issue and request that the federal safety agency evaluate whether similar electrical or dashboard fires have been reported involving 2015 Ford Transit vehicles. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Filed Aug 4, 2026 · Electrical · 107,000 miles · TX · fire

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Transit. The contact stated that the vehicle caught on fire while parked at the residence. The contact was asleep and was alerted to the fire by the local authorities after a neighbor witnessed the fire and called the emergency services. Upon reviewing the ring camera footage, the contact became aware that the fire had originated at the rear driver’s side of the vehicle. The fire was extinguished by the fire department, and the vehicle sustained damages to the rear driver’s side of the vehicle. The manufacturer and dealer were not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. A Police report was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 107,000.

Filed Apr 1, 2026 · Electrical, Engine · FL · fire

On March 11, 2026, a 2024 Ford Transit (VIN: [XXX] ) was being operated under normal driving conditions when the check engine light began intermittently activating. Shortly thereafter, the vehicle experienced a sudden loss of dashboard functionality. While attempting to safely maneuver to the shoulder, the operator experienced loss of power steering and reduced braking capability. During this time, flames were observed originating from the engine compartment. The operator was able to safely pull the vehicle over, exit, and contact emergency services. The vehicle subsequently became fully engulfed in flames and was completely destroyed. No injuries were reported. A preliminary fire investigation determined the area of origin to be the passenger side of the engine compartment, with evidence of possible electrical involvement. The specific failed component has not yet been identified. This incident created a significant safety hazard due to the sudden loss of vehicle control systems combined with an active vehicle fire during operation. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Filed Feb 22, 2025 · TN · fire

I was going up hill and I heard a pop and smoke started to come out form the center console and then the truck burst into flames

Filed Dec 16, 2024 · Electrical, Engine · IN · fire

Purchased this new vehicle from the dealer and while driving from the dealership to my business, I heard a loud bang and the vehicle caught fire.

Filed Nov 20, 2024 · Electrical · CA

My Balmar 2nd alternator on my Winnebago Ekko has just failed. This is a Winnebago installed electrical system component mounted in the Ford Transit chassis engine bay that provides electrical charging to the RV coach batteries. There was an initial the federal safety agency Safety Recall 23V‑234 issued in 2023 after numerous Balmar units failed; in some cases the Balmar unit failure caused a fire in the engine bay. I had the Safety Recall work performed in July 2023 by authorized dealer Dennis Dillion RV in Boise Idaho per the attached invoice and the Balmar charging system had been working well until now. I am aware that there are ongoing reports by other Ekko owners of the Balmar alternator failures reoccurring after the Safety Recall work was performed, and in some cases even after Balmar 2nd alternators' were replaced, which suggests the initial solution provided by the Safety Recall was not sufficient to prevent a failure. Within minutes of starting to drive my RV today I noticed an unfamiliar whining sound from somewhere under the hood that I had not heard before and immediately checked my coach batteries while driving a short distance and went from the batteries discharging significantly to not charging at all. I opened the engine hood and had smoke visible and a strong burning smell coming from the passenger side of the engine bay where the Balmar unit is located. I was very concerned about the potential for an engine bay fire, but fortunately was very close to my home, so my RV is now parked in my driveway. See attached screenshots showing the initial voltage discharge while driving and then the batteries not getting any charge while under power. Also attached is the Recall 23V‑234 repair instructions. I plan to unplug the Balmar alternator to prevent the potential for a fire while awaiting a response from Winnebago how to proceed. Despite the federal safety agency Safety Recall having been performed, there are reports of alternator's failing and risk of vehicle fires remains.

Filed Sep 28, 2023 · Electrical · IN · fire

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Transit. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked unattended, it spontaneously caught fire. There were no warning lights illuminated prior to the failure. The doors failed to open. After the fire, the owner noticed that the wires were hanging from the door panel. The owner was able to extinguish the fire. There were no reported injuries. The fire department was not contacted. The air bags were deployed. A police report was not filed. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and referred to the federal safety agency Hotline. The failure mileage was unknown. The contact referenced the failure of Ford recall number 17S34.

Filed Jun 1, 2023 · Electrical · TX · fire

The battery's junction box in the engine compartment is melting. While I was driving, I heard a loud pop, I opened the hood, and saw smoke coming from the junction box. I noticed the box was melting around a fuse. The melting is significant, and the vehicle looked to be on fire. The smoke stopped, but I feel the vehicle could easily have caught on fire completely. There are recalls for this same exact issue but for other Ford Models. I have a fleet of these vans, and this has now occurred to 6 of them. I know other owners that this occurred to as well. I have called Ford Goodwill and they have declined to cover it under the 3-year, extended warranty. The melting was so bad on one that the actual harness was burnt as well. This is a dangerous issue that Ford already knows this happens. I have receipts for all of these repairs and the technician acknowledging the junction box melting. I have emails from Ford where they apologize for the issue, and they say they cannot cover it under warranty. They refuse to comment on the safety danger this poses on all. This is an amazon delivery van and there are thousands of these that could catch fire in someone's house or business.

Filed Jun 1, 2023 · Electrical, Engine · TX · fire

THIS IS A SECOND CASE FOR A DIFFERENT VIN WITH THE SAME ISSUE. 11524889. The battery's junction box in the engine compartment is melting. While I was driving, I heard a loud pop, I opened the hood, and saw smoke coming from the junction box. I noticed the box was melting around a fuse. The melting is significant, and the vehicle looked to be on fire. The smoke stopped, but I feel the vehicle could easily have caught on fire completely. There are recalls for this same exact issue but for other Ford Models. I have a fleet of these vans, and this has now occurred to 6 of them. I know other owners that this occurred to as well. I have called Ford Goodwill and they have declined to cover it under the 3-year, extended warranty. The melting was so bad on one that the actual harness was burnt as well. This is a dangerous issue that Ford already knows this happens. I have receipts for all of these repairs and the technician acknowledging the junction box melting. I have emails from Ford where they apologize for the issue, and they say they cannot cover it under warranty. They refuse to comment on the safety danger this poses on all. This is an amazon delivery van and there are thousands of these that could catch fire in someone's house or business.

Filed Apr 27, 2023 · Electrical · NC · fire

On March 7, 2023, at approximately 1:45 PM, Bus 437 had caught fire in the engine compartment of the vehicle while sitting in the parking lot. The bus had just came off of a route minutes before & the driver had reported the dash tell tale (warning) lights had come on. The Operator switched the engine off and then noticed smoke coming from the engine compartment area prior to the thermal event. The fire caused significant damage & the vehicle is a total loss; the engine compartment, bus body, interior as well as exterior and top cap of the bus were affected. An independent firm was hire to conduct the fire investigation ( EFI Global, Inc.) & determined the source of the fire to be a power supply from the vehicles jump box; however our history with alternator failures & consumption of these components combined with my mechanical experience leads me to believe that the root cause of this has been overlooked and the alternator failures need to be further investigated for public safety reasons. I have engage the dealer principal (Creative Bus Sales, Inc.) who we purchased the vehicle from whom is working with Ford on this matter. The Alternator is the component that I want investigated & the one in question has not been removed from the vehicle however we did break down 3 alternators from our inventory of failed cores & the findings support my theory as the alternator (diodes) being the culprit of the failures. The cause of the fire is believed to be a situation created when the single alternator overheated causing the diode bridge to fail & alternator to ignite. We have experienced alternator failures on this group of buses since the vehicles inception into the fleet going back to 2018. 38 of these model buses were purchased & placed into service in 2018 & we have replaced 283 alternators since they were placed into service (very high consumption/failure rates).