I saw something today that not only are they recalling '97,s thru 99,s but that they are adding '01,s thru '02,s now. Makes you wonder about the '00,s and '03,s huh?

 

Link for this is here

NHTSA to investigate Ford trucks, SUVs
By Chris Woodyard, USA TODAY
NEW YORK — Federal regulators have ordered a new investigation into a potential defect in cruise control units that could lead to fires in 3.7 million Ford Motor (F) SUVs and F-150 pickups. The F-150 is the best-selling vehicle in the USA.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration ordered the probe Wednesday into switches on 1995-1999 and 2001-2002 F-150s and 1997-1999 and 2001-2002 Ford Expeditions and Lincoln Navigators. NHTSA has 218 reports of fires with those vehicles, spokesman Rae Tyson said.

In January, Ford voluntarily recalled 792,000 of the same trucks from the 2000 model year for the same problem.

 

Exactly...the 2000 and select 2001 models are all that has actually been recalled as of yet. The NHTSA is just beginning the investigation of the rest. I believe 2003 and newer have been redesigned as to eliminate the issue.

 

More likely, no 03's have caught fire yet...

 

i was told by someone on this site that 2002 and 2003 were fixed with switched power plus 2amp inline fuse. I sure hope so- i havent checked it out yet- but he said he checked it on his and saw it in a repair manual.

Dan.

 

I fixed mine myself, The new part was $27 from ford. They said if it ever does get recalled they will give me the money back.

The new sensor has a different plug and comes with a new wire that adapts the plug

 

My 2003 expedition doesn't have the switch located on the brake cylinder so I assume the F150 should be the same way. You can tell if you have the possible culprit if you open the hood and look to see if the switch like an oil sending unit near the front of the brake cylinder.

 

My 2003 has the same switch there by the brake fluid but supposedly has what i said in my previous post- thus protecting from fire.

Dan.

 

The vehicles affected by the recall do not have a fuse protecting that circuit, thus the fire hazard. All the rest of the F-series, Expedition, and Navigators before and after the recalled vehicles have a fuse protecting that circuit. Although the switch may fail and leak, the fuse protects it from igniting. I highly doubt the recall will be expanded to encompass vehicle which don't present a fire hazard.

Some may argue that the leak could cause the fluid level to drop in the reservoir and, subsequently cause a loss of braking ability. That could be the only reason I could see for them to expand the recall.

-Joe

 

I have looked at the pictures from various sites detailing the cruise control switches and their location relating to the Brake cylinder. My 2002 SCrew looks exactly the same as the effected model years. I called my dealer with questions, and they suggested I called Ford at their 800 number for customer service. After waiting through various automated attendants, I finally spoke to a human. I asked if Ford could assure me that the cruise switch attached to the front of my brake cylinder was engineered differently from the recalled model years. The rep. gave me the lawyer lingo they have been told to spout. She also told me they weren't engineers and had no access to engineers. If I wanted that kind of information I should call the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that was overseeing the testing of the units in question. I reminded her that I didn't buy my truck from the NHTSA, I bought it from Ford and I preferred to keep these kinds of questions directed at the people I did business with and the people who I paid for the truck. She refused to go any further with her statements. I asked to talk to her boss. 3 minutes wait, and supervisor gets on the line. More of the same insued. Finally I asked for the next boss up the totem pole. This person esentially told me the same thing. Except:
She said that Ford was working with the NHTSA, and the model years they were looking at included my year, 2002. She could not assure me that the cruise in my SCrew was substantially different than the one's in the current recall. I told her that my cruise was unplugged and I taped off both ends, the switch and the plug. She said there was no indication that what I was doing was neccessary for the safe operation of my truck. Then I asked her if her children were riding in the truck and sleeping in a bedroom adjacent to the garage where the truck parked would she feel comfortable with their safety? She paused for what seemed like a minute, although it was only a few seconds. She replied, "I'd leave it the way you have it now sir until Ford resolves the questions surrounding your model year with the NHTSA."

 

Do as you see fit, but I'm quite sure yours will not pose a fire hazard. Long before the switch conducts enough current to ignite the brake fluid, the fuse on that circuit will blow and protect the wiring, switch, garage, and you child's rubber ducky. The switch is no different than the recalled ones, but the way it's wired into the system is different. The F-150s that AREN'T affected by the current recall have a fuse in-line with the circuit. The currently recalled vehicles do not.

The problem with customer service people is that they don't have the answers you're looking for, nor do their bosses and managers. They're not engineers. Their one and only job is to pass the information from the engineers and lawyers to the customers and to express the customer's soncerns to the engineers. The answers you want aren't going to be found with the customer service people at Ford corporate.

Again, if it makes you feel better, disconnect it and leave it disconnected. For that matter, feel free to purchase the recall replacement kit and install it. It won't work any different than the one you currently have, although it's less likely to leak.

-Joe

 

Having parked my '03 F150 outside for weeks I decided to investigate. It has the offending switch installed and it has 12 volts on it all of the time. (though it may indeed be fused) As far as I am concerned this is a design flaw. Although my '03 isn't yet in the recall pool I intend to modify the circuit as follows:
Cut the 12 volt lead and run the voltage through an inline fuse and sealed relay that is switched by ignition.

 

wbz, your 2003 does not have switched power??????? Well all i know is i was told that 2002 and up were fixed and that all previous have the other flawed design without a fuse or switched power. Meaning that when the key is off there should be no power going to the cruise switch. Maybe i should check- but shouldnt all 2003's be the same????? the person who told me this owns a 2003.

Dan.

 

I can't speak offhand for the '03 as the service manuals I have access to are at work. I believe the '03 and '04 Heritage share the same wiring for that switch. I can confirm it in the morning.

I can say for sure that the '02 is fuse-protected by fuse #15 (5A) in the central junction box. Even if the "offending" switch manages to leak and cause a short, it will simply blow the fuse and render the cruise control inoperative. It will not start a fire.

Again, unless the truck is currently a part of the recall, the circuit is fuse-protected. It is also hot all the time. The brake pressure switch is simply a VOLTAGE input to the speed control servo. If it'll make you feel better, pull the 5A fuse out and replace it with a 1A or 0.5A fuse. That wire carries no current to the speed control servo. Power to the servo is fed from an independent circuit.

Do as you see fit, but there's absolutely no need to do anything to your OEM system if it's not involved in the recall. The systems in the non-recalled vehicles are 100% safe. Again, can the switches fail and leak? Yes. Installing an additional fuse and/or relay will neither make the system any safer, nor prevent the switch from failing and leaking.

I'll check on the '03s in the morning.

-Joe

 

Hi Joe! Remember me? Long time no chat! How have you been? Do any off roading lately? Wish I did!
Anyhow, I understand your point but why are 97's going up in flames too? There have been many reports of fires & NHTSA IS looking into it. That tells me there has to be a problem. I know my CC stopped working & the deactivation switch DEFINITELY wasn't working properly. Yes I had mine disconnected but I'd like to think it will be fixed someday so I can get mine working & hooked up again. Until they do fix it I can't risk a fire. When I go to my Mom's I was parking as far from the house as possible because she's an invalid - she can barely walk & forget running if the house caught fire too.
Anyhow, I am very uneasy about the whole thing & hope NHTSA will find out what's wrong & how it needs to be fixed. Until then I'm using my backup CC - my right foot!