NHTSA Complaint #747867 — 1998 FORD EXPLORER

IT STARTED WITH THE REAR DRIVER WINDOW INTERMITTENTLY NOT WORKING. THEN THE LOCK DROP DOWN INSIDE DOOR MAKING THE DOOR UNABLE TO UNLOCK AND OPEN. ALSO ENGINE STALLED. TOOK TO THE DEALER. THEY FIXED THE DOOR BUT COULDN'T FIND ANYTHING WRONG WITH THE ENGINE OR THE WINDOW. WINDOW WORKED FOR THEM. BROUGHT THE TRUCK HOME THAT NIGHT AND WHILE I WAS DRIVING IT THE BATTERY LIGHT ON THE DASH WHEN ON AND THE BATTERY GAUGE STARTED FLUCTUATING TO THE "H" AND FINALLY HELD THERE. TURNED TRUCK OFF AND LET SIT AND EVERYTHING WENT BACK TO NORMAL. DIDN'T REACURR FOR A COUPLE OF DAYS BUT THEN STARTED UP AGAIN. ABS LIGHT ALSO STARTED COMING ON AND OUTSIDE TEMP GAUGE STARTED TO GO CRAZY. ALSO ENGINE IDLE STARTED TO SURGE AS THE BATTERY GAUGE SURGED. THIS WAS ON A WEEKEND. TOOK TRUCK BACK TO DEALER. THEY COULDN'T MAKE IT DO ANY OF THESE THINGS. THEY KEPT IT FOR 5 DAYS AND DROVE IT. STILL NOTHING. THEY DECIDED TO LOOK AT THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM AND FOUND THE MAXI FUSE AND WIRING SYSTEM BURNT. I ASKED IF IT COULD HAVE CAUGHT FIRE AND THEY SAID NO. HOWEVER I LOOKED AT YOUR WEB SITE UNDER CONSUMER COMPLAINTS AND FOUND THE SEVERAL PEOPLE HAVE COMPLAINED THAT THEIR EXPLORER HAD CAUGHT FIRE BECAUSE OF THE WIRING HARNESS. SOME OF THESE EXPLORERS WERE NOT RUNNING AT THE TIME OF THE FIRE AND WERE PARKED IN A GARGE. THE DEALER DID REPLACE THE FUSE AND WIRING HARNESS HOWEVER IT TOOK 11/2 WEEKS TO GET THE PARTS IN BECAUSE THEY WERE BACKORDERED. OBVIOUSLY THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH THE WIRING SYSTEMS. I ALSO PARK MINE IN A GARGE. I AM NOW WORRIED AND AFRAID TO PARK IT IN THE GARGE. I HAVE TWO SMALL CHILDREN AND THEIR SAFETY IS MY FIRST CONCERN.*AK