And at the time, the cruise control fire was a known issue, yet this truck was not recalled.
Everyone in the auto industry makes mistakes. The difference between a lousy company and a good one (in this regard) is how they deal with it. And Ford is one of the worst in this regard. GM's not far behind (see "Cold Spark Knock" and their insistence that piston slap is "normal" and "acceptable"), and Chrysler isn't much better.
And in my experience, Toyota does a terrible job of stepping up to the plate....
BTW - I know someone who had a "cruise control fire". At least that's what the fire department claimed.
Until, that is, it was pointed out to them that they identified the source of the fire as near the firewall on the passenger side, which is NOT where the master cylinder is located. Still, it got reported to NHTSA as a suspected fire as the fault of the cruise control switch.
But, you know, jumping on the bandwagon can be fun!