NHTSA Complaint #10282284 — 2002 FORD EXPLORER

MY WIFE AND I OWNED A 2002 FORD EXPLORER XLT WITH 4WD. AND A 4.0L ENGINE. ON THE NIGHT OF 1-15-2009 ,I PICKED MY WIFE UP FROM WORK AT 11:35PM WE WENT TO THE GROCERY STORE AND AFTERWARDS PROCEEDED TO OUR HOME , THIS WHOLE TRIP TOOK A TOTAL OF TWENTY TO TWENTY FIVE MINUTES AND A DISTANCE OF ABOUT ONE MILE OF DRIVING ROUND TRIP TO MY WIFE'S WORK THE GROCERY STORE AND THEN TO OUR HOUSE.WE ARRIVED HOME ,PARKED THE VEHICLE BEHIND OUR RESIDENCE AND PREPARED TO GO TO BED . AROUND 2:00AM I GOT UP FROM MY SLEEP TO GET A GLASS OF WATER IN OUR KITCHEN, WHICH FACES THE AREA THAT WE PARK IN , AS I WAS FILLING MY GLASS I NOTICED AN ORANGISH RED GLOW IN THE BACK YARD , UPON LOOKING OUT THE WINDOW , I SAW THAT THE FRONT END OF OUR VEHICLE WAS ON FIRE . MY WIFE CAME DOWN FROM OUR BEDROOM CRYING AS I CALLED THE FIRE DEPARTMENT . I WENT OUT WITH A FIRE EXTINGUISHER TO SEE IF I COULD PUT THE FIRE OUT MYSELF BUT THE FRONT END OF THE VEHICLE WAS BURNING TOO MUCH FOR ME TO BE ABLE TO DO ANYTHING .THE FIRE DEPARTMENT PUT THE FIRE OUT AND MY VEHICLE WAS TOWED . THERE WAS HARDLY ANYTHING LEFT OF THE FRONT END, JUST THE FRAME,MOTOR,RIMS AND SOME OTHER PARTS . THE INSURANCE COMPANY HAD A FIRE INVESTIGATOR OF THEIRS DO AN INSPECTION OF MY VEHICLE AND THEY DETERMINED THAT THE FIRE HAD STARTED ON THE DRIVERS SIDE OF THE VEHICLE AROUND THE MASTER CYLINDER , PROBABLY AS A RESULT OF THE CRUISE CONTROL SWITCH LOCATED ON IT . DO TO THE EXTENT OF THE DAMAGE FROM THE FIRE AND THE FACT THAT THEY WERE UNABLE TO LOCATE THE SWITCH BECAUSE THE MASTER CYLINDER HAD MELTED , THEY WERE UNABLE TO PROCEED ANY FURTHER IN CONTACTING FORD . THE VEHICLE WAS A TOTAL LOSS , UNREPAIRABLE ! ABOUT 1 - 2 MONTHS BEFORE THE FIRE, I HAD CHECKED WITH DEALERS AND ONLINE MYSELF AND WAS TOLD THERE WAS NO RECALL ON MY VEHICLE FOR THIS TYPE OF PROBLEM ,THE SAD PART ABOUT THIS WHOLE MESS IS WE ONLY HAD ABOUT SIX MORE MONTHS AND THE VEHICLE WAS PAID FOR , NOW WE HAVE TO START ALL OVER AGAIN . *TR