1995 FORD F-150 Complaints

I PARKED AND SECURED MY 1995 FORD F-150 AND WENT TO WORK. APPROXIMATELY 15 MINUTES LATER A FIRE STARTED IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE. THE SECURITY AND FIRE DEPARTMENT OF MY PLACE OF EMPLOYMENT RESPONDED QUICKLY (FIFTEEN MINUTES OR LESS) AND EXTINGUISHED THE FIRE. THEY BROKE THE DRIVER SIDE WINDOW IN AN EFFORT TO GAIN ACCESS BUT THE HOOD LATCH CABLE HAD ALREADY BEEN DISABLED BY THE FIRE SO ACCESS WAS GAINED BY PRYING OPEN THE HOOD. EVERYTHING ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE OF THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT WAS RUINED. THE FIREMAN AT THE SCENE POINTED OUT THE CRUISE CONTROL DEACTIVATION SWITCH AS THE PROBABLE CAUSE OF THE FIRE. MY INSURANCE AGENT (USAA) HAS NOT AS OF YET GOTTEN BACK WITH ME AS TO THE ESTIMATED EXTENT OF THE DAMAGES BUT CONSIDERING THE EXTENSIVE ELECTRICAL AND OTHER DAMAGE IT IS MY PREDICTION THAT THE TRUCK WILL BE CONSIDERED AS A TOTAL LOSS. FORD KNOWS OF THIS POTENTIAL PROBLEM AND HAS NOT IN MY OPINION TAKEN APPROPRIATE ACTION THROUGH RECALLS.*JB

60/40 BENCH SEAT BACK REST (DRIVERS SIDE) RECLINED AND WILL NOT LOCK BACK IN, IN UPRIGHT POSITION. HAS NOT BEEN FIXED YET. WAS TOLD THERE IS NO RECALL ON THIS SEAT. I HAVE A 1995 FORD F150 PICKUP TRUCK EXTENDED CAB MADE AT THE KANSAS CITY PLANT. THE RECALL DESCRIPTIONS OF THIS DEFECT FIT THIS TRUCK. *NM

DT: CONTACT STATES ON 6-15-05 HER HUSBAND WAS DRIVING 1995 FORD F150. WHEN ATTEMPTING TO LEAVE THE PARKING LOT COULD NOT GET TRUCK OUT OF PARK. HE SHUT THE CAR OFF, PUT IT IN NEUTRAL, AND WAS ABLE TO DRIVE THE CAR. LATER THE ABS LIGHT CAME ON AND BLINKED 15 TIMES. WHEN HE GOT HOME REALIZED DID NOT HAVE ANY BRAKE LIGHTS. DROVE ANOTHER VEHICLE TO WORK THE NEXT DAY AND CALLED THE DEALERSHIP, AND HE SAID IT SOUNDED LIKE A BAD FUSE. SUNDAY MORNING HE WENT TO CHANGE THE FUSE, AND AS HE WAS INSTALLING A FUSE, HE HEARD A HISSING NOISE AND A SMOKE CAME OUT FROM THE HOOD. HE RAISED THE HOOD AND NOTICED THAT THE CRUISE CONTROL SWITCH WAS COMPLETELY CHARRED. CONSUMER DISCONNECTED THE SWITCH BECAUSE HE HAD SEEN IT DONE ON THE OTHER 2000 F150 THEY OWNED, AND HE WAS AFRAID OF A FIRE COULD START. IMMEDIATELY CALLED FORD, AND THEY DID NOT ANSWER. SHE CALLED AGAIN AND SHE TOLD FORD SHE WAS RECORDING THEM. THEY REFUSED TO GIVE HER THE NHTSA PHONE NUMBER. THEY SAID THEIR COMPUTER WAS DOWN AND THEY COULD NOT PROVIDE ANY INFORMATION. SHE CALLED BACK LATER, AND WAS TOLD THEM THE SAME THING. THEY SAID THEY STILL HAVE THE TRUCK, AND NHTSA WAS WELCOME TO COME AND CHECK IT. *AK

THE LIFT SPRING REAR BRACKET(DRIVER SIDE) COMPLETLY RUSTED AWAY CAUSING THE BED TO COME DOWN AND IT ALSO COMES VERY CLOSE TO PINCHING THE REAR FUEL FILL TUBE(DUAL TANKS). THIS TRUCK ONLY HAS 50,000 MILES ON IT AND HAS BEEN MAINTAINED VERY WELL.I DO VERY LITTLE HAULING OR PULLING WITH THIS TRUCK THAT WOULD HAVE CAUSED THIS PREMATURE MALFUCTION. I CALLED THE FORD DEALER BUT THEY WOULD NOT DO ANYTHING TO HELP ME-SO I TOOK IT TO A LOCAL GARAGE TO REPLACE. THEY SAID THEY REPLACE THESE ALL THE TIME AND THAT THE LOCAL FORD DEALER EVEN KEEPS THE BRACKETS IN STOCK.I HAVE PICTURES AND THE OLD PART.

I HAD DRIVEN FROM BUFFALO ON THE THRUWAY DOING 65 MPH TO BARKER NY AND PULLED INTO A PARKING PLACE WHEN THE FRONT RADIUS ARM BRACKET GAVE WAY AND THE RADIUS ARM RIPPED THROUGH THE RADIUS ARM BRACKET CAUSING THE FRONT TIRE AND ENTIRE WHEEL AND FRONT END SUSPENSION TO TURN SIDE WAYS JAMMING INTO THE REAR OF THE WHEEL WALL. IF THIS HAD GIVEN WAY ON THE THRUWAY AT 65 MPH I WOULD BE DEAD. THIS IS NOTHING NEW TO FORD TRUCKS; FORD HAS KNOWN ABOUT THIS PROBLEM SINCE AS FAR BACK AS 1988 THAT I KNOW OF. THE SAME THING HAPPENED TO MY 1988 FORD BRONCO. FORD SOLD A SPECIAL REPAIR KIT WHEN REPLACING THE RADIUS ARM BRACKET SO THEY HAD TO KNOW THERE WAS A DANGEROUS PROBLEM. THE PROBLEM IS THESE RADIUS ARM BRACKETS WEAKEN AND FORD HAS HAD A PROBLEM WITH THEM RUSTING THROUGH. I WAS AWARE OF THIS AND CHECKED THE RADIUS ARM BRACKETS OFTEN, BUT THIS TIME THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE OF THEM RUSTING THROUGH. THE METAL JUST GAVE WAY. THIS CAUSES THE LOSS OF STEERING AND CAN CAUSE THE VEHICLE TO FLIP OVER AT THRUWAY SPEEDS. THE REST OF THE FRAME IS IN GOOD CONDITION SO THERE HAS TO BE DEFECTS IN THE RADIUS ARMS FORD PUTS ON THERE TRUCKS. I WILL TAKE PICTURES AND SEND THEM TO YOU IF YOU WANT THEM. I DON'T KNOW THE EXTENT OF THE DAMAGE YET, IT JUST HAPPENED. BUT MY ENTIRE FRONT STEERING SUSPENSION IS TWISTED. AAA TOWING TOWED MY TRUCK SO THERE''S PROOF IT HAPPENED. PLEASE REPLY.

DT: CALLER SAID HE HAS A VEHICLE THAT MAY CATCH ON FIRE BECAUSE OF THE CRUISE CONTROL SWITCH. CALLER SAYS THERE IS A RECALL ON THIS IN OTHER VEHICLES. RECALL # 05V017000. CALLER IS CONCERNED ABOUT THE SWITCH ON HIS TRUCK. MANUFACTURER SAID THEY ARE INVESTIGATING THE PROBLEM AND THERE IS NOTHING THEY CAN DO ABOUT IT RIGHT NOW. *NM

VEHICLE DOES NOT MAINTAIN A CONSTANT TEPERATURE. I HAVE REPLACED THE THERMOSTAT 2 TIMES, AND THE TEMP SENSOR 1 TIME. UNDER POWER THE TEMP GAUGE DROPS TO BELOW NORMAL AND SHOOTS RIGHT BACK UP. WHEN THIS OCCURS THE POWER ALSO DROPS. I PUT IT ON AN ANALYZER AND ALL REPORTS NORMAL. AFTER CHANGING THE THERMOSTAT THE EVERYTHING IS OK FOR APPX. 2 DAYS, THEN IT STARTS AGAIN.

DT: CONSUMER HAD A 1995 FORD F-150 SUPER CREW CAB THAT CAUGHT ON FIRE WHILE PARKED IN FRONT OF HER HOUSE ON 7-6-05. THE ENGINE WAS COMPLETELY BURNED UP. SHE DID NOT RECEIVE A RECALL NOTICE. SHE BOUGHT THE VEHICLE IN FEBRUARY 2005. SHE HAS NOT TALKED TO THE DEALERSHIP . THE TRUCK HAD 140, 000 MILES ON IT AND IS NO LONGER DRIVABLE.*AK

CONSUMER STATED HIS 1995 FORD F-150 TRUCK WAS TOTALLY TURNED OFF WHEN WHITE SMOKE STARTED COMING FORM THE FENDER WELL ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE. THIS HAPPENED OVER ONE YEAR AGO. THE GARAGE OWNER DISCONNECTED THE BATTERY TERMINAL AND THE FIRE WENT OUT. HE SAYS THE SENSOR FOR THE CRUISE CONTROL AND THE WIRE CAUGHT ON FIRE; LIKE ROADSIDE FLARE; THROWING OFF OF WHITE SMOKE; IT BURNED THE SIDE OF THE MASTER CYLINDER. IT MELTED THE CONNECTOR THAT PLUGS INTO THE SENSOR, AND IT MELTED THE TOP OF THE SENSOR. THE DEALER SAID THAT VEHICLE WAS PROBABLY NOT COVERED. THE CONSUMER SAYS ANYONE IS WELCOME TO LOOK AT THE VEHICLE IF NEEDED TO HELP DETERMINE THE PROBLEMS WITH THE CARS. *NM

IN THE SUMMER OF 2003 WE PARKED OUR 1995 FORD F150 PICKUP IN OUR DRIVEWAY AROUND 2PM. NO ONE DROVE THE VEHICLE AGAIN. AT 11:00 PM OUR NEIGHBOR CAME RUNNING OVER BECAUSE HE'D SMELLED SMOKE. THE VEHICLE HAD CAUGHT ON FIRE BY ITSELF. WE AND BOTH NEIGHBORS TRIED TO PUT THE FIRE OUT BUT BY THE TIME THE FIRE DEPARTMENT GOT THERE (20 MINUTES LATER) THE VEHICLE WAS TOTALED. IT HAD COMPLETELY BURNED OUT THE ENGINE AND THE INSIDE OF THE CAB. THE TIRES IN THE FRONT EVEN EXPLODED. THE FIREMEN COULDN'T UNDERSTAND HOW IT HAPPENED BUT THEY SAID THAT IT WASN'T THE FIRST TIME SOMETHING LIKE THIS HAD HAPPENED. WE HAVE INSURANCE AND WERE REIMBURSED FOR THE DAMAGES. WE WANT TO REPORT THIS TO ADD IT TO THE INFORMATION THAT'S BEING COLLECTED ON THE FORD FIRES.