NHTSA Complaint #10125977 — 1994 FORD EXP

ON JUNE 8, 2005 MY HUSBAND, DAUGHTER AND I WERE ON VACATION. WE WERE DRIVING DOWN A ONE WAY, ONE LANE ROAD IN GATLINBURG, TENNESSEE AT ABOUT 10 MILES AN HOUR. THE EXPLORER MADE A STRANGE NOISE AND WHEN MY HUSBAND PULLED OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND CAME TO A STOP THE EXPLORER FILLED UP WITH SMOKE ON THE INSIDE. WE GOT OUT AND THEN SAW THAT THE EXPLORER WAS ON FIRE. FLAMES WERE COMING FROM UNDER THE EXPLORER AND SHOOTING OUT THE GRILL. IN LESS THAN 5 MINUTES THE ENTIRE SUV WAS COMPLETELY CONSUMED BY FIRE. WE ASSUMED AT THE TIME THAT THE CAUSE MUST HAVE BEEN A FLUID LEAK SOMEWHERE. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT OFFICAL SAID THAT THE EXPLORER HAD BURNED SO COMPLETELY THAT HE WAS UNABLE TO DETERMINE A CAUSE. SINCE READING SO MANY ARTICLES SINCE JUNE 8 ABOUT FORD EXPLORERS BURNING I CAN NOT HELP BUT WONDER IF MAYBE THIS COULD HAVE BEEN SOME FAULTY PART PUT ON THIS EXPLORER WHEN IT WAS MANUFACTURED. THIS WAS A 1994 FORD EXPLORER XLT. IT ALSO MAKES ME WONDER ABOUT THE CRUSE CONTROL. AT TI MES WHEN YOU SET THE CRUSE, THE EXPLORER WOULD SURGE, (SPEED UP AND SLOW DOWN) CONSTANTLY. THEN WE WENT FOR A PERIOD OF TIME WHEN THE CRUSE WOULD NOT WORK AT ALL. THEN ONE DAY, IT STARTED WORKING AGAIN. THE SURGING GOT LESS AND LESS. WE COULD NEVER FIGURE OUT WHAT CAUSED IT TO SURGE, THE COMPLETELY STOP WORKING AND THEN MYSTERIOUSLY START WORKING AGAIN. WE WERE VERY VERY LUCK THAT NO ONE WAS SERIOUSLY INJURED, OTHER THAN A MINOR BURN TO MY HUSBANDS HAND. ALL I CAN THINK IS WHAT WOULD THE OUT COME HAVE BEEN HAD WE BEEN ON A HIGHWAY OR INTERSTATE WHERE THE SPEED LIMIT IS 70 MPH. I HAVE NO IDEA HOW LONG THE EXPLORER HAD BEEN ON FIRE. I WOULD ASSUME SEVERAL MINUTES FOR IT TO FILL WITH SMOKE AS FAST AS IT DID. THERE WAS NOTHING DONE TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM, BECAUSE THERE WAS NOTHING LEFT TO CORRECT. THE ENTIRE VEHICLE WAS BURNED. THERE WAS ONLY A HULL, FRAME AND 4 SHOVEL FULLS OF ASHES.