Consumers Put on Notice: Dirtiest Car Buying Myths Debunked

I never buy new cars. I buy them used with 20-30,000 miles. They cost about 2/3 of the price of new ones. I use some of the money saved to get an extended warranty.

These are not lemons. The first car I bought this way is up to 208,000 miles. My son is driving it now. My current car would have been about $25,000 new, but I paid $15,900 for a one year old car with 20,000 miles on the odometer.

Both of those cars were former rental cars. My husband's truck was a formerly leased vehicle with 30,000 miles.

I've been listening to Larry Perry (aka "The Magic Mechanic") on the radio talking about the problem of spontaneous fires in 1997-2002 Ford vehicles for a couple of years or so now, and last Saturday he mentioned the fact that the FEDS _finally_ decided to investigate.

He advises people to disconnect the cruise control switch (near the distributor, I think he said it was) and do without their cruise control until they get it fixed "properly". I think he also said that the "fix" being offered by the dealerships is no real fix at all (merely replaces the switch).

He has been telling people how to easily do the fix themselves. You can email him from his web site and ask him how to do it. In my experience you'll get an answer back almost immediately:

The Magic Mechanic http://magicmechanic.com/

Here are the details:

Feds Probe Cruise-Control Fires in Ford Trucks
http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2005/nhtsa_ford_fires.html

March 23, 2005
Hundreds of Ford truck owners not included in a recent recall have asked ConsumerAffairs.Com why there is no federal probe of cruise-control problems with their trucks. Now a federal investigation into those problems is underway.

The investigation involves an estimated 3.7 million Ford F-150s, Ford Expeditions and Lincoln Navigators, although consumers have also reported similar fires in other Ford truck models.

The possible defect in cruise-control mechanisms can cause a vehicle to catch on fire when the engine is off. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that it is looking at 1995-1999 and 2001-2002 F-150s as well as 1997-1999 and 2001-2002 Expeditions and Navigators.

Since the fires start when the vehicles are parked and unattended, there have been many instances of damage to homes and other vehicles.

• Harold of El Cajon, Calif., parked his F-150 at his son's condo. It burst into flames, destroying Harold's truck, his son's Volvo and most of the condo.
• Norma of Santa Barbara was sound asleep when her neighbor's Ford Ranger burst into flames, starting a fire that destroyed her car and sent pieces of hot metal crashing into the living room of a nearby home. Norma has not been able to recover any damages and has no way to get to work.
• Shannon of Tampa was also sleeping when her Expedition caught fire in the middle of the night. She, her husband and two children escaped but their home was damaged and uninhabitable for four months. "Ford treated us horribly during our ordeal," Shannon told ConsumerAffairs.Com.
• When Miguel's Expedition caught fire, it also destroyed his Toyota 4Runner, a boat and his carport.

A federal investigation into the same defect in the 2000 model year of the vehicles recently ended, with the NHTSA saying the problems with those automobiles were adequately dealt with by a Ford recall. Ford recalled the 2000 vehicles on January 27.

However, the recall has done nothing to help those whose trucks and other belongings may have already been destroyed by fire. Take Randy of Diboll, Texas. He lost not only his 2000 F-150 but three guns and ammunition, other vehicles parked nearby ... and his divorce papers.

"It was the best truck I have ever had," Randy said ruefully.

Ford refuses to offer assistance to victims of the fires and disclaims any knowledge of why so many fires have occurred under simiar circumstances.

"We're working closely with NHTSA on the issue," said Ford spokeswoman Kristen Kinley. "We'll continue to cooperate with the agency until the matter is closed."

"Fires happen for a variety of reasons ranging from faulty repair, improper modification to the vehicle with after-market parts and wiring, prior accident damage, and even arson," Kinley said. "This is why each complaint or allegation must be reviewed on a case-by-case basis."

In the current investigation, at least 218 problems involving cruise control deactivation switch failures and related engine-compartment fires have been reported to NHTSA, the agency said. By expanding the investigation NHTSA says that "we will optimize our ability to identify the problem's root cause.

NHTSA is among the last to admit that the problem extends beyond the 2000 model year. Dimitri of Baltimore was relieved when he heard about the recall of the 2000 Expeditions, since his was a 1997.

"Boy was I wrong," said Dimiti. His Expedition caught fire and burned a few nights later at the gym, destroying another SUV parked next to it.

Flaming Fords

• Bronco
• Crown Victoria
• Dump truck
• Expedition
• Explorer
• F-150
• Other F-Series Trucks
• Focus
• Mustang
• Ranger Pickup
• Taurus
• Windstar
---
• Feds Look Deeper for Ford Fire Causes
• Recall Leaves Many Questions Unanswered
• Houston Lawyers Sue Ford
• Ford Recalls Some Fire-Prone Models
• Feds Probe Ford F-150 Engine Fires
• Ford Recall Was Biggest Ever

bttt

Both of those cars were former rental cars.

You are quite lucky! As someone who has been driving rental cars for over 9 years, they are the most beat upon cars on the road.

bump for links later

It's still possible to do most work yourself--I do, on my cars

Yeah but many neighborhoods frown if not outright ban cars on cinder blocks or jacks in front yards or driveways.

That's what the garage is for.

It took me three hours and it wasn't really that bad. Well worth the $230 savings.

good deal, hope it serves you well 8^]