1996 FORD ECONOLINE Complaints

DRIVING DOWN EXPRESSWAY, STOPPED TO DROP NEWPHEW OFF VAN SMELLED HOT/BURNING OPENED HOOD FIRE PRESENT. CRUISE CONTROL PART ON RECALL FOR OTHER FORDS STARTED FIRE. PUT FIRE OUT. FORD REFUSES TO PAY FOR PART EVEN THOUGH EXACT PART ON RECALL, BECAUSE IT IS ON A VAN NOT A TRUCK. IT IS STILL THE SAME FAULTY PART AS THE TRUCKS. HAS BURNED CRUISE CONTROL, BRAKE FLUID CHAMBER ELECTRICAL WIRES UNDER IT AND SHORTED OUT ALTERNATOR. *NM

DT: THE CONTACT STATED CRUISE CONTROL STOPPED WORKING. THE LOCAL REPAIR SHOP REPLACED A 15 AMP CIRCUIT BREAKER. AFTER THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED FOR APPROXIMATELY FIVE HOURS IT CAUGHT ON FIRE. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT WAS CALLED. THE INSURANCE INVESTIGATOR COULD NOT DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THE FIRE. *AK THE CONSUMER BELIEVED THE FIRE WAS RELATED TO THE CRUISE CONTROL. UPDATED 12/07/05. *JB

ON SUNDAY MORNING AT ABOUT 6 AM THE ALARM OF OUR VAN WENT OFF. IT WOKE US UP. THE ENGINE OF THE VAN WAS ON FIRE. WE CALLED THE 911 AND THE FIRE DEPARTMENT CAME. MY HUSBAND TRIED TO USE THE FIRE EXTINGUISHER BUT HE COULD NOT OPEN THE HOOD. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT PUT OUT THE FIRE.THE LAST TIME I DROVE THE VAN WAS ABOUT 8:30 PM ON SATURDAY NIGHT. IT WAS FINE THEN WHILE IT WAS BURNING IT SOUNDED LIKE IT WAS TRYING TO START. ONE FIREMAN SAID THAT SOUND WAS FROM THE WIRES BURNING OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT. IT IS A 1996 FORD [XXX] FORD E 350 LIMITED REGENCY THE MILEAGE WAS ABOUT79362. A STICKER ON THE WINDSHIELD SAYS BUILT WITH PRIDE ECONOLINE BY LORAIND OHIO ASSEMBLY UAW 425 2000. WE ARE VERY THANKFUL FOR THE CAR ALARM. WE WERE NOT DUE TO WAKE UP UNTIL AN HOUR LATER. WE THINK IT IS TOTALED BECAUSE THE WHOLE FRONT SIDE IS BURNED AND THE WINDSHIELD BROKE. ALL THE SEATS ARE STILL IN GOOD SHAPE. THE POLICE CAME TO THE SCENE BUT WHEN WE WENT TO GET THE REPORT WE FOUND THAT THE POLICE MAN DID NOT MAKE A REPORT. HE DIDN'T EVEN SPEAK TO US. LATER WE LEARNED THAT SHIFT CHANGE HAPPENS THAT TIME OF MORNING. (A POLICE MAN WHO GOES TO OUR CHURCH TOLD US ABOUT THE SHIFT CHANGE) HE DIDN'T KNOW WHY A REPORT WAS NOT TAKEN. *NM UPDATED 07/18/2012 *JS INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

DT: THE CONTACT BOUGHT 4 NEW TIRES AROUND JUNE-2002. 3 FAILED. THE FIRST ONE FAILED IN 6-04, THE SECOND ONE BLEW OUT IN 3-05, AND THE THIRD ONE FAILED ON 8-15-05. NOTICED THE BUBBLES BEFORE THE OTHER TWO BLEW OUT. THE DEALERSHIP REPLACED THEM AT NO COST; BUT WAS WORRIED ABOUT OTHER PEOPLE WHO MAY HAVE THE SAME TIRE. THE TIRE BRAND NAME IS BIG O. THE DOT NUMBERS ARE B4KV3800; UTRK-266E R-44448 K-9184 1914. THE TIRE LINE IS: LT235/75R15. *AK *JB

1996 FORD ECONOLINE VAN WAS PARKED ON MY PROPERTY. IT STARTED ON FIRE WHICH SPREAD SO QUICKLY THAT THE WHOLE VAN WAS BURNT BEFORE THE FIRE DEPARTMENT ARRIVED. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT BELIEVES THE FIRE STARTED ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE TOWARDS THE FRONT OF THE VEHICLE BUT CAN NOT DETERMINE WHAT STARTED IT ALTHOUGH WE ARE STILL WAITING FOR THEIR REPORT. THIS VAN WAS NOT PARKED NEAR ANYTHING FLAMMABLE NOR WAS THERE ANYTHING FLAMMABLE IN THE VAN. THE FIRE WAS SO HOT THE WINDSHIELD MELTED. WE NOW HAVE NO VAN AND NO EXPLANATION OF WHY IT WOULD START ON FIRE. THE SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT SAID THEY WOULD NOT TAKE A REPORT UNLESS THE FIRE DEPARTMENT SUSPECTS ARSON.

ON JUNE 25TH I CHANGED THE BATTERY ON MY 1996 FORD E150 BECAUSE THE BATTERY WAS DEAD. ABOUT A HALF AN HOUR LATER I HEARD THE ALARM GOING OFF. WHEN I WENT OUTSIDE THERE WAS WHITE SMOKE COMING OUT FROM UNDER THE HOOD. I RAISED THE HOOD AND THE SENDING UNIT ON THE MASTER CYLINDER FOR THE CRUISE CONTROL WAS SMOKING AND THE WHITE SMOKE WAS INCREASING BY THE SECOND. I PULLED THE WIRES THAT WERE LEADING TO IT AND THE SMOKED STARTED TO DISAPATE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT RUNNING AND THE IGNITION WAS TURNED OFF. ON JUNE 29, I WAS WATCHING THE JANE PAULY SHOW ON CNN. THEY WERE REPORTING ABOUT A PROBLEM WITH THIS SAME PART ON THE FORD F150 PICKUPS. I BELIEVE THAT IF MY ALARM HAD NOT SOUNDED MY VEHICLE WOULD HAVE CAUGHT ON FIRE LIKE THE PICKUP TRUCKS IN THE REPORT. AS OF YET I STILL HAVE NOT REPAIRED THE VEHICLE AND ALL PARTS ARE AS THEY WERE ON THE DAY OF THE INCEDENT. IF YOU WOULD LIKE I WILL LEAVE THE VEHICLE THIS WAY SO YOU CAN INSPECT THE PROBLEM IF YOU WOULD LIKE. PLEASE CONTACT ME ASAP SO I KNOW HOW TO PROCEED.

THE CONSUMER STATED THE VEHICLE CAUGHT ON FIRE UNDER THE HOOD. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT MADE THE ASSUMPTION OF IT BEING AN ELECTRICAL FIRE.

THE ABS WILL NOT ENGAGE WHEN BRAKING DURING A EMERGENCY SITUATION OR A SUDDEN STOP. THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN TO A REPAIR SHOP ON TWO SEPARATE OCCASIONS. THE MECHANIC REPLACED THE FRONT PADS AND BOTH FRONT ROTORS AND THE PROBLEM CONTINUED. *JB

THE ROOF ON MY 1996 FORD ECONOLINE WITH MOUNTED RACK HAS PAINT THAT HAS PEELED OFF AND BEGINNING RUST, ESPECIALLY AROUND THE RACK AND EDGES OF ROOF. IT IS A BLUE METALLIC PAINT AND IS SEPARATING FROM THE PRIMER, WHICH I UNDERSTAND IS A DEFECT KNOWN AS DELAMINATION CAUSED BY DEFECTIVE PRIMER AND NORMAL ENVIRONMENT CONDITION OF ULTRAVIOLET EXPOSURE, A DEFECT THAT WAS LATENT FROM THE DATE IT WAS PAINTED AND HAS NOW BECOME VERY APPARENT. ESTIMATE TO REPAIR ROOF IS $1220.80 MILEAGE IS 55,834.*JB

WITHOUT ANY WARNING THE VEHICLE STALLED ON THE HIGHWAY WHILE DRIVING 60 MPH. THE INCIDENT OCCURRED FOUR TIMES SINCE THE CONSUMER HAS OWNED THE VEHICLE. VEHICLE HAS BEEN TOWED TO THE DEALER, WHO INFORMED THE CONSUMER THAT THE INJECTOR DRIVER MODULE WAS THE PROBLEM. THIS MODULE WAS POSITIONED IN A WAY THAT MOISTURE COULD SEEP IN, CAUSING THE IPM MODULE TO FAIL. *AK RESPONSE FROM DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WAS POOR. *PH