1996 Ford F-250 Electrical system Problems

“I had raised my hood to check the oil, and there was smoke from the cruise control shut off switch located at the end of the master cylinder. It continued to smoke and burn until I unplugged it. It was nearly on fire. The body of the switch is melted and burned. When I went to Ford dealer on 4/17/06 for a replacement part, the parts manager thought that this might be part of the recall that is in force for the f-150. The service manager checked, and it does not apply to the F-250. This is disturbing to me, because the switch is that same for either vehicle.”

“While parked in my driveway my Ford F-250 with two gas tanks burst into flames and totaled the pickup. Fortunately, the truck was backed into the drive way because otherwise the house would have burned down and the hotwater heater would have been ignited. As it was, we were lucky that the fire and police departments responded so quickly and prevented the gas tanks from exploding. Both lanes on hwy 412 were shut down, many people gathered , etc. The media was there taking pictures. I am concerned that this maybe a wiring defect that could be a common problem in other Ford pickups. …”

“While driving vehicle would shut down. Happened at stop light or signs. Contacted Ford manufacturer & informed consumer to take vehicle to dealer. At dealership, mechanic placed vehicle on diagnostic machine & no codes appeared. Transmission could not shift properly into either 1st or 2nd gears without making grinding noises. Mechanic refused to repair vehicle due to being out of warranty.”

“Consumer stated the factory installed wiring harness which is coming out of the engine compartment fuse box began having electrical problems which was causing the turn signal and brake lights to be inoperative.”

“The contact owns a 1996 Ford f250. The contact stated the vehicle was off and the key was out of the ignition when the vehicle caught on fire. The fire department was called to extinguish the fire who stated that the fire started under the hood from a wire. The vehicle was destroyed. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was unavailable.”