Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | |||||
| 03181 | 09/15/2003 | 10004027 | Remote keyless entry (rke) - service tips. *tt | 11/14/2003 | |
| 98246 | 12/07/1998 | 604059 | Ford motor company has released a new electrical grease ( f8az - 19g208-aa ) to reduce the possibility of moisture corrosion at the terminals. *yc | 03/16/1999 | |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - IGNITION | |||||
| 95102 | 05/01/1995 | 42087 | Vehicles may have a disconnect of the ignition control module (icm) connector or moisture buildup within the connector. *tw | 11/01/1995 | |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - WIRING | |||||
| 99222 | 10/18/1999 | 6089681 | Subject on a wire harness terminal repair kit available for repairing electrical wiring harnesses. *tt | 02/11/2000 | |
| 96246 | 11/18/1996 | 50905 | Wiring - electrical diode identification and service replacements. *tw | 06/17/1997 | |
Investigations
| NHTSA ID | Manufacturer | Date open | Date close | Subject | Recall campaign | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | ||||||
| PE96066 | FORD MOTOR COMPANY | 11/22/1996 | 05/15/1997 | DRIVER DOOR ELECTRICAL FIRE | 97V083000 | |
| Owners allege incidents of fire caused by electrical shorting inside the driver's door. | ||||||
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | |||
| 07/22/2006 | 1 | ||
| 1993 ford explorer spontaneously combusted in driveway, damage originated in the driver side dashboard area. vehicle wasn't driven 24 hours prior to fire. no recall found for year/model, but countless fires reported for base fords of all models and years. *nm | |||
| 03/31/2003 | 101000 | 1 | 11/03/2001 |
| While parked, the vehicle caught on fire. the fire inspector indicated the fire was caused by the driver side door panel. *jb jamie conaday was the owner of this vehicle. scc | |||
| 02/15/1997 | |||
| When getting into vehicle and starting it up everything will go out, such as the headlights remaining on, and consumer smelling smoke coming from vehicle. can't determine the problem. *ak | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - ALTERNATOR/GENERATOR/REGULATOR | |||
| 10/26/1998 | 5 | 11/01/1997 | |
| My 93 ford explorer had approximately 3 diagnostic tests with results that show there is nothing wrong with it. the vehical consistently over 7 months has been stalling, dieing, and surging. it usually stalls at stop signs or while waiting in a lines of cars. it dies at stop signs or when trying to start it up. it surges while driving on the freeway and feels like a tugging motion. the rpms and amps go way down and feels like it may stall then it surges and gets power. when it gets power it almost jumps forward and hits the car in front while my foot is still on the break. it also jumps around at stop signs with the rpms and amps going up and down. mossey ford in san diego, ca has replaced the oil and filter and the fuel pressure regulator. they said it would take car of the problem and it did not. the problem became more dominant, persistent, and dangerous. this work cost approximately $300.00, so due to high cost at ford. i took the vehical to greg's automotive in el cajon, ca. i then replaced the battery and was charged uselessly for finding no problems. at this point, i spend about $400.00 more dollars for nothing. they had a hunch that it may have been the timing belt, but i would have to pay $600.00 just for them to check. i have been spending hard earned money uselessly and disregarding my bills for my vehical not being fixed. i am scared for my safety and other's safety while driving the explorer under these unfixable conditions. i need help and high quality service to pin point the exact problem. i depend on my vehical and must use it to get me places i have to go. my ford vehical is stalling, dieing, and surging. this is not safe and ford should deal with this problem by recalling vehicals with these type of complaints. | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - BATTERY | |||
| 11/28/1999 | 1 | ||
| Vehicle experienced failure in the service bulletin (94-8-14), however repaired prior to bulletin, repaired starter, battery and cables, battery acid leakage caused damage. *mjs | |||
| 11/28/1999 | 1 | 09/01/1996 | |
| Battery system failed. yh | |||
| 08/07/1998 | 1 | ||
| Battery exploded. | |||
| 11/01/1994 | 06/21/1993 | ||
| Battery/manifold absolute pressure (map) sensor/radius arm bushing/hydraulic lift cylinders (rear door) and driver's side mirror failed. | |||
| 05/01/1994 | 1 | ||
| Battery failed. | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - BATTERY - CABLES | |||
| 06/01/2004 | 30000 | 5 | 09/01/1993 |
| Transmission had to be replaced and the vehicle stalled. *mr this problem had been present since the vehicle was first purchased. the vehicle had been taken to the dealer on 5 occasions with no success until another chevy dealer found that there was a bad battery cable. *sc *jb | |||
| 11/28/1999 | 1 | ||
| Vehicle experienced failure in the service bulletin (94-8-14), however repaired prior to bulletin, repaired starter, battery and cables, battery acid leakage caused damage. *mjs | |||
| 01/01/1998 | 1 | 02/01/1996 | |
| Battery acid caused cable corrosion which caused low voltage to starter, causing it to fail. | |||
| 01/13/1995 | |||
| Battery cable assembly burned/shorted out; owner could not start up vehicle; cable assembly replaced. tt | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - FUSES AND CIRCUIT BREAKERS | |||
| 04/23/2000 | 05/01/1999 | ||
| My fuse blew, when we look to see what the problem was we saw that the side view mirror (electric) had evidently got on fire because the underneath was melted. please let me know what to do. i need to have this replaced and i do not feel that i was at fault and would like to find out if the ford place should replace this free of charge do to the switch being faulty. *ak | |||
| 3 | |||
| Ventilation system has caught on fire 3 times while vehicle was being driven. it melted the electrical system. dealer has repaired 3 times. *ak | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - IGNITION | |||
| 09/01/1999 | 12/01/1997 | ||
| Ignition has been checked, replaced, as well as endless other potential causes, by two mechanics, neither being able to correct problem. ford denies any knowledge. | |||
| 09/22/2000 | 3 | ||
| While driving about 10 mph when vehicle stalled without a prior warning . it happened three times, and consumer had contacted dealer about the situation.*ak | |||
| 10/22/1999 | 04/01/1998 | ||
| Spark plugs were replaced by h&l on 4/19/99 part # awsf-4c, mileage was 74,497. failure of plugs was during trip, at another dealer rhinebeck ford, 914-876-4440, they replaced them with awsf-42p- stating wrong plugs installed by h&l. h&l responded initially that these were the correct plugs, but later agreed that the 42p were the right ones. subsequent, the vehicle ran rough and had poor performance. h&l contacted regarding this, noted to monitor fluid levels, tune up would not cure problem. manager stated it could be a cracked head. within 7 days since 10/11/99, engine is in shop, white smoke coming out of exhaust and fluids indicate a leak. manager also stated that this is a known problem with the explorer for that year. car no longer under warranty, expired at 89,830. feel ford is responsible! | |||
| 06/12/1997 | 1 | ||
| Spark plug failed. | |||
| 08/01/1996 | 1 | 09/06/1995 | |
| Vehicle caught on fire while it was parked, and in the off position prior to recall. police report indicated that it was ignition-related. (96v-071). *ak *slc | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - IGNITION - MODULE | |||
| 12/25/1996 | |||
| Owner states while driving the computer engaged the 4- wheel drive without any warning to the driver, owner also notes that vehicle was hard to control. *ak | |||
| 04/07/1994 | 1 | ||
| Processor assembly replaced due to vehicle stalling. *skd | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - IGNITION - SWITCH | |||
| 01/01/2001 | 0 | ||
| When vehicle gets warmed up it will stall because ignition module will malfunction, and vehicle will cut offf without prior warning. dealership was aware of problem.*ak | |||
| When turning the ignition on the ignition switch spins half way around and sometimes when putting the key into the ignition switch to turn it on , this would turn it off and vice versa. please describe details. *ak | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - STARTER ASSEMBLY | |||
| 11/28/1999 | 1 | ||
| Vehicle experienced failure in the service bulletin (94-8-14), however repaired prior to bulletin, repaired starter, battery and cables, battery acid leakage caused damage. *mjs | |||
| 11/28/1999 | 1 | 09/01/1996 | |
| Starter assembly failed. yh | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - WIRING | |||
| 12/03/2007 | 89000 | 1 | 02/15/2003 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 1993 ford explorer. while idling at a traffic light, the contact noticed dark smoke coming through the vents. the contact shut off the vehicle and restarted it when the smoke ceased. while driving 25 mph, the smoke reappeared. the contact looked under the hood, but could not locate the source of the failure. the contact had the heater fuse removed, which stopped the vehicle from smoking. the vehicle had not yet been taken to the dealer. the current and failure mileages were 89,000. updated 05/27/08 *bf the consumer stated the ac only worked on high and the rear windshield wiper did not work. updated | |||
| 11/21/2005 | 1 | 02/01/2003 | |
| I owned a ford 1992 explorer and one morning it just cacth fire for no reason at all. we let it run before taking my kids to school as we do every cold morning and if a little girl had been walking to the bus stop and saw the car on fire we would have been burn up in the house so luckly she saw and let us no before it got to the porch we call the fire dept. *nm | |||
| 12/04/2004 | 1 | ||
| While driving 25 mph consumer noticed smoke coming from the front of the vehicle. suddenly, the vehicle caught on fire. consumer pulled over, and the fire department extinguished the fire. vehicle was towed to a garage. *ak | |||
| 04/18/1999 | 10/01/1993 | ||
| Ea99004, while air conditioning system is on and in vent mode, smoke came from the vents due to an electrical wire melting. this may started a fire if vehicle did not shut off. *ak | |||
| 05/28/1998 | 5 | 03/01/1996 | |
| Electrical short in wiring from ignition to fuel pump. | |||
| 08/21/1996 | |||
| Consumer's vehicle burned totally while parked in garage, also burning the garage, causing $6,000 worth of damage to garage alone. *ak | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - WIRING - FRONT UNDERHOOD | |||
| 10/01/2004 | 120000 | 1 | |
| Dt: the consumer was driving on the road and the vehicle started sputtering like it needed a tune up. tried to accelerate and smoke came from the heating and cooling vents. as soon as the consumer pulled over smoked started coming from under the hood. within a few seconds the vehicle was in flames. contacted ford, they said they were not recalling this vehicle. the fire department came out but were not sure where the fire started from. this happened on october 1, 2004. *ak | |||
| 01/21/2003 | |||
| Consumer left the vehicle at the service gas station for service. two days later vehicle caught on fire due to a faulty short circuit. dealer has not been notified. please provide further information. ph. *ak | |||
| 12/26/2000 | |||
| Under the hood fire while vehicle was parke. ; dealer / manufacturer were not notified at this time. please feel free to provide any further details on this matter. *ak | |||
| 03/04/2001 | |||
| Vehicle was parked, had not been driven in 4.5 hrs and caught on fire. vehicle burned to ground, and set vehicle parked next to it on fire too. total loss to consumer. *ak | |||
| While traveling noticed smoke from under the hood. engine was on fire, and there was no indication. please provide further information. *ak | |||
| While driving at approximately 35 mph, driver turned on defroster and flames started shooting out from underneath the hood. driver then turned off vehicle and took fire out. consumer restarted vehicle and fire started again.please provide further information. *ak | |||
| Electrical: driving down highway and vehicle started running hot. noticed flames coming from underneath the hood. pulled over to the side and vehicle caught fire and burned completely. *ak | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - WIRING - INTERIOR/UNDER DASH | |||
| 12/11/2003 | 99500 | 2 | 07/31/1999 |
| 1st case was summer time, engine wouldn't even turn over when trying to start it. air conditioner had been on earlier. turned the air conditioner switch to off and engine started and ran just fine. attributed the problem to bad compressor loading down the engine. $900 later with new compressor and conversion to new refrigerant i assumed everything was fixed. truck is 2nd vehicle not used much until winter. december while driving at night, i accidentally pushed the heater switch in, (air-conditioner on mode) and the engine instantly shut off, as well as all the lights and the horn. reset the switch and once again everything was fine. never blew a fuse! expected a wire harness fire after that! i'd expect the load line to the compressor to be on a separate circuit and isolated by a fuse link or replaceable fuse! replaced the $95 switch and inspected it. it was all melted inside. i wonder if the switch was the original problem and the compressor was actually good since the air was cold when it was running. could it go from good to instantly seized? could the circuitry in the explorer sport allow a large current draw to melt the switch? if so ford owes me for the compressor and labor. can't understand why a fuselink or fuse didn't blow. only a dead short would knock out the lights, and horn. luckily the switch could be switched off, as i rolled to a stop. second item to report was that while replacing the bad resistor coils for fan's speed control, the heater enclosure was packed with leaves- very dangerous. vacuumed everything out. need to find out why there is no screen somewhere. *ak | |||
| 04/05/1997 | |||
| Driver's side door caught fire due to short in control panel of remote for mirror and door. *ak | |||
| 11/20/1996 | |||
| While vehicle was parked it caught on fire. the fire started in the electrical panel on the driver's side. vehicle is in the process of beginning repairs after 42 days. ak | |||
| 08/15/1996 | 1 | 02/01/1996 | |
| During vehicle operation the climate control shutdown and the turn signal, and back up lights went out, resulting in the melting down of the main wiring harness. *ak *jb | |||
| Experienced fire with electrical system in front dash. *ak | |||
| 03/01/1996 | |||
| Experienced fire in steering column area. please give more details. *ak | |||