Cruise Control Fire
 

I know many believe the cruise control issue is overblown but, my dad had his Ford truck in his boat shop start on fire and burned the shop to the ground.

This is no lie, happened in Mid July, they couldn't touch the fire scene for days until the investigators showed up. It was confired 100% to be because of the Ford
cruise control catching fire.

Good thing, he was well insured, just sad to see his business after 35 years go up in flames...

Unplug it!

Patrick B

That sucks big time-even worse that it was a 35 year old bussiness.

I tell myself everyday that Im going to unplug it, but I just seem to use it to much (there is a spot of road with a cop who will pull you over for like 2mph over, I always set if for that stretch of road).
Some day it will bite me in the arse when I wake up and the shop and truck is burnt down, or walk outside to find it on fire.

I need to get it in for the recall work. Maybe Ill make an appointment soon for that and to get my speedo recalibrated sometime soon. Hmmm.

I wouldn't take it in just to have them unplug it. Just unplug it, wrap it with electrical tape and wait for Ford to get all of their stuff together for the complete recall. When they have everything to fix it completely, then take it in. I did take mine in to have them unplug it, thinking they would do something fancy or something, but a few wraps of electrical tape is all it took, man was I disappointed. lol Better safe than sorry until they are able to fix it all, in my opinion.

BT

need to unhook
 

Now that I too got my notice I need to unhook it. Where exactly do I unplug the cruise control. Please be descriptive... Thanks.
2001 F150 SCREW 5.4

On my 97 5.4, it is in front of the brake fluid holder. Just a clip holding the wires in there. On my truck, if you are looking under the hood from the drivers side, it would be just to your left of the brake fluid container. Hope that makes enough sense for you to be able to find it.

The guy at the Ford house said that the brake fluid leaks into the connection there and since there is always power going through the cruise control, it ignites. That is what causes the fire.

Check out the cover image on my album https://www.f150online.com/galleries...TOKEN=46048517

Look on the front of your master cylinder. Ziptie the harness to secure it in the engine bay and wrap electrical tape around the connections.

If you want to keep using your cruise put a 20 amp mini fuse in the connector terminals. you will have to bend it a bit to fit but it will. Then tape it out of the way and you are set till they finish the recall. That is what I did. The switch is redundant. If ever your cruis will not disengage you naturally press harder on the brake pedal. The extra pressure in the master cylinder is sensed by the switch and it opens the Cruise Control circuit.


JMC

JMC, do you have a pic of that setup?

Sorry, I didn't think to snap one. You could also put terminal ends on a fuse holder and connect that.

JMC

I took a short piece of thin wire solder and flattened each end into the shape of a spade and inserted as a jumper into the female connector which is now unplugged from the master cyclinder. I taped it for good hold and insulation. This provides the same flow of current as the master cyclinder pressure switch in the run position (no brake pedal applied) Electrically, I don't see the need for a 20 amp fuse because the pressure switch in the master cyclinder is a non fused straight thru zero resistance device and the cc system is already fused. I also figure that wire solder would probably melt open at abt 10 amps though.

I stopped at the dealer on the way home to get it disconnected. they said they were expecting the new harnesses to come in in November but, they just got a new email from ford saying they are on back order and it will be indefinite before they come in now. I think I'll put a mini fuse in the connector for the time being.

Once again, Ford is all about money. Maybe the new trucks use a totally different switches, but it seems that if they can keep putting out new trucks with cruize control they can fix the ones that are already out there catching fire!

Does anyone know the ampere rating of the master cyclinder pressure switch. I guess that would be the answer to whether or not you need to fuse the jumper in the female connector if you decide to diconnect CC from the master cyclinder and jumper to keep CC functioning. My CC in both F150's work fine disconnected from flammable pressure switch and with the solder wire jumper installed but I dont know the amp ratings needed for jumper if there are any required.

I wired a 2A fuse into the wire harness while I ws waiting for the new switch. The amps used are less than 1 because I read of several others that used 1A fuses. Only when the switch shorts out will the amps go high and melt the wires.
Note, you need to install the fuse in the hot wire between the switch and the fusebox.


Fritz

I have bypassed the switch that catches fire, it is a backup switch and is really not needed unless primary fails. I just jumpered the female connecter that I disconnected from the master cyclinder switch with solder wire (no fuse) and CC works like it should. What I wanted to know is there a fuse needed on the jumper between the 2 female pin connectors?. The ampere rating of the switch in the master cyclinder if there is one would determine the fuse rating needed on the jumper. JMC used a 20amp mini as a jumper fuse and that may be the switch rating I don't know. Does anyone know the master cyclinder switch amp rating?