VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: MULTI-PURPOSE VEHICLES. THE TRAILER HITCH ASSEMBLY TO THE FRAME ATTACHING BOLTS

Mar 07, 2000 — Recall Campaign #00V073000

VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: MULTI-PURPOSE VEHICLES. THE TRAILER HITCH ASSEMBLY TO THE FRAME ATTACHING BOLTS COULD LOSE THE CLAMP LOAD.

The recall was influenced by the Office of Defects Investigation with about 565,800 units affected.

See recall notice

NHTSA Safety Recall Notice

00V073000

Manufacturer:	Ford Motor Company
Recall date:	March 07, 2000
NHTSA Campaign #:	00V073000
Units affected:	565,800

Description:: VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: MULTI-PURPOSE VEHICLES. THE TRAILER HITCH ASSEMBLY TO THE FRAME ATTACHING BOLTS COULD LOSE THE CLAMP LOAD.
Consequeces:: THE TRAILER HITCH COULD THEN SEPARATE FROM THE VEHICLE.
Corrective action:: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE TRAILER HITCH MOUNTING BOLTS AND NUT PLATES.
Notes:: OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN MAY 15, 2000. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON SERVICE DATE AND DO NOT RECEIVE THE FREE REMEDY WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME SHOULD CONTACT FORD AT 1-800-392-3673.ALSO CONTACT THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION'S AUTO SAFETY HOTLINE AT 1-888-DASH-2-DOT (1-888-327-4236).

Affects the following:

2000 FORD EXPEDITION Complaints
On XXX my 2000 Ford Expedition caught on fire at around 2am. It had not been driven or turned on since XXX, and was sitting parked that whole time. It was parked in the parking lot of my apartment building, right outside of my unit. I was woken up by a loud pop which I believe was the tire exploding, and the flames were tall enough to see outside my second story bedroom window. My entire apartment building was evacuated by the fire department, and some doors were kicked in by them, including mine. After they put the fire out, the fire inspector looked for two hours to determine a cause and were only able to determine that the fire started under the hood, on the drivers side, close to the dashboard area. The vehicle was completely totaled in the fire, and my other car parked next to it was damaged from the fire as well, and the apartment building had a lot of damage from the fire and heat spreading to it. Multiple residents were displaced for a few days at the advice of the fire department, to let units air out from the carcinogenic fumes. The vehicle has been towed and signed over to AutoMoto Salvage yard. I was researching what could have started this fire and found this article where the NHTSA investigated over 600 spontaneous Ford vehicle fires including year 2000 Ford Expeditions, caused by cruise control deactivation switches, which are located in the same place under the hood that the fire department determined my fire originated. [XXX] My vehicle was not listed in any recall, but that article states that over 200 vehicles that caught fire were not either. I'm unsure if the salvage yard still has it available for inspection. It has not been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer. It was inspected by the fire department and police department - insurance did not do their own inspection. There were no warning signs and the vehicle was running like normal. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6);
2000 LINCOLN NAVIGATOR Complaints
ON OCTOBER 4, 2017 AT APPROXIMATELY 3:45 PM, I DEPARTED FROM THE SACRAMENTO CHILDREN'S HOME THROUGH AN ADJACENT ALLEY TRAVELING THROUGH THE SOUTH BOUND ENTRANCE. AS I MADE THE LEFT TURN INTO THE ALLEY AS I GRADUALLY GOT UP TO SPEED MY VEHICLE SUDDENLY BEGAN TO ACCELERATE. I WAS STARTLED BY THE SUDDEN INCREASE OF SPEED AND IMMEDIATE MADE AN ATTEMPT TO PUT THE VEHICLE IN NEUTRAL AND SHUT THE VEHICLE DOWN AND APPLY THE BRAKES. BEFORE I COULD MAKE THE CORRECTIONS THE VEHICLE HAD VEERED OFF TO THE LEFT HAND SIDE OF THE ALLEY AND STRUCK AN OAK TREE. TO MY GUESS THE VEHICLE WAS TRAVELING AT A RATE OF SPEED OF ABOUT 25-30 MPH. ON IMPACT I SLAMMED INTO MY MOTOROLA SPEAKER THAT WAS ATTACHED TO MY SUN VISOR AND SPLIT MY HEAD OPEN WHICH REQUIRED 8 STAPLES TO CLOSE.;